Compositions for golf balls

ABSTRACT

Golf balls comprising thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable elastomer compositions are presently disclosed. These elastomer compositions comprise reaction products of polyisocyanates and telechelic polymers having isocyanate-reactive end-groups such as hydroxyl groups and/or amine groups. These elastomer compositions can be used in any one or more portions of the golf balls, such as inner center, core, inner core layer, intermediate core layer, outer core layer, intermediate layer, cover, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer, and/or outer cover layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/194,057, filed Jul. 15, 2002. This application is also a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/859,527, filed Jun. 2, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/409,144, filed Apr. 9, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/228,311, filed Aug. 27, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to golf balls and, more particularly, to novel reactive liquid compositions comprising dimer polyester polyol for use in golf balls and golf ball structures formed therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Golf balls can be formed from a variety of compositions. Balata, a natural or synthetic trans-polyisoprene rubber, has been used to form golf ball covers. The softness of the balata cover allows the player to achieve spin rates sufficient to more precisely control ball direction and distance, particularly on shorter shots. However, balata covers lack the durability required by the average golfer, and are easily damaged. Accordingly, alternative cover compositions have been developed in an attempt to provide balls with spin rates and a feel approaching those of balata covered balls, while also providing a golf ball with a higher durability and overall distance.

Ionomer resins (e.g., copolymers of olefin, such as ethylene, and ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, such as (meth)acrylic acids, wherein the acid groups are partially or fully neutralized by metal ions) have also been used as golf ball cover materials. Ionomer covers may be virtually cut-proof, but in comparison to balata covers, they display inferior spin and feel properties.

Polyurethanes and polyureas, by providing soft “feel,” have also been recognized as useful materials for golf ball covers. However, conventional polyurethane covers do not match ionomer covers with respect to resilience or rebound. Unsaturated components (such as aromatic diisocyanate, aromatic polyol, and/or aromatic polyamine) used in a polyurethane or polyurea composition may at least in part attribute to the composition's susceptibility to discoloration and degradation upon exposure to thermal and actinic radiation, such as ultraviolet (UV) light. Conventional polyurethane covers can be prone to absorption of moisture, which is another mechanism through which desirable physical properties in the cover may be compromised. Moisture passed through the cover may further deteriorate physical and performance properties of the core.

Therefore, a continuing need remains for novel material compositions usable in forming golf ball portions (e.g., covers) having desirable and/or optimal combination of physical and performance characteristics, such as being hydrophobic and thus resistant to moisture absorption. Compositions comprising dimer polyester polyol, such as those disclosed herein, have superior and desirable hydrophobicity and resistance to moisture absorption, and may be suitable for forming one or more portions of the golf ball.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to a golf ball comprising a core and a layer about the core, wherein the layer may be an outer cover layer or an intermediate layer between the core and an outer cover layer.

Definitions

As used herein, the terms “araliphatic,” “aryl aliphatic,” or “aromatic aliphatic” all refer to compounds that contain one or more aromatic moieties and one or more aliphatic moieties, where the reactable functional groups such as, without limitation, isocyanate groups, amine groups, and hydroxyl groups are directly linked to the aliphatic moieties and not directly bonded to the aromatic moieties. Illustrative examples of araliphatic compounds are o-, m-, and p-tetramethylxylene diisocyanate (TMXDI).

The subscript letters such as m, n, x, y, and z used herein within the structures are understood by one of ordinary skill in the art as the degree of polymerization (i.e., the number of consecutively repeating units). In the case of molecularly uniformed products, these numbers are commonly integers, if not zero. In the case of molecularly non-uniformed products, these numbers are averaged numbers not limited to integers, if not zero, and are understood to be the average degree of polymerization.

Any numeric references to amounts, unless otherwise specified, are “by weight.” The term “equivalent weight” is a calculated value based on the relative amounts of the various ingredients used in making the specified material and is based on the solids of the specified material. The relative amounts are those that result in the theoretical weight in grams of the material, like a polymer, produced from the ingredients and give a theoretical number of the particular functional group that is present in the resulting polymer.

As used herein, the term “polymer” is used to refer to oligomers, adducts, homopolymers, random copolymers, pseudo-copolymers, statistical copolymers, alternating copolymers, periodic copolymer, bipolymers, terpolymers, quaterpolymers, other forms of copolymers, substituted derivatives thereof, and combinations of two or more thereof. These polymers can be linear, branched, block, graft, monodisperse, polydisperse, regular, irregular, tactic, isotactic, syndiotactic, stereoregular, atactic, stereoblock, single-strand, double-strand, star, comb, dendritic, and/or ionomeric.

As used herein, the term “telechelic” is used to refer to polymers having at least two terminal reactive end-groups and capable of entering into further polymerization through these reactive end-groups. Reactive end-groups disclosed herein include, without limitation, amine groups, hydroxyl groups, isocyanate groups, carboxylic acid groups, thiol groups, and combinations thereof.

Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, times and temperatures of reaction, ratios of amounts, values for molecular weight (whether number average molecular weight (“M_(n)”) or weight average molecular weight (“M_(w)”), and others in the following portion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

For molecular weights, whether M_(n), or M_(w), these quantities are determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrene as standards as is well known to those skilled in the art and such as is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,019 at column 4, lines 2-45, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As used herein, the terms “formed from” and “formed of” denote open, e.g., “comprising,” claim language. As such, it is intended that a composition “formed from” or “formed of” a list of recited components be a composition comprising at least these recited components, and can further comprise other non-recited components during formulation of the composition.

As used herein, the term “cure” as used in connection with a composition, e.g., “a curable material,” “a cured composition,” shall mean that any crosslinkable components of the composition are at least partially crosslinked. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the crosslink density of the crosslinkable components, i.e., the degree of crosslinking, can range from 5% to 100% of complete crosslinking. In other examples, the crosslink density can range from 35% to 85% of full crosslinking. In other examples, the crosslink density can range from 50% to 85% of full crosslinking. One skilled in the art will understand that the presence and degree of crosslinking, i.e., the crosslink density, can be determined by a variety of methods, such as dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) in accordance with ASTM E1640-99.

As used herein, the term “saturated” or “substantially saturated” means that the compound or material of interest is fully saturated (i.e., contains no double bonds, triple bonds, or aromatic ring structures), or that the extent of unsaturation is negligible, e.g. as shown by a bromine number in accordance with ASTM E234-98 of less than 10, or less than 5.

As used herein, the term “percent NCO” or “% NCO” refers to the percent by weight of free, reactive, and unreacted isocyanate functional groups in an isocyanate-functional molecule or material. The total formula weight of all the NCO groups in the molecule or material, divided by its total molecular weight, and multiplied by 100, equals the percent NCO.

As used herein, the term “equivalent” is defined as the number of moles of a functional group in a given quantity of material, and calculated from material weight divided by equivalent weight, the later of which refers to molecular weight per functional group. For isocyanates the equivalent weight is (4210 grams)/% NCO; and for polyols, (56100 grams)/OH#.

As used herein, the term “flexural modulus” or “modulus” refers to the ratio of stress to strain within the elastic limit (measured in flexural mode) of a material, indicates the bending stiffness of the material, and is similar to tensile modulus. Flexural modulus, typically reported in Pa or psi, is derived in accordance to ASTM D6272-02.

As used herein, the term “water vapor transmission rate” (“WVTR”) refers to the mass of water vapor that diffuses into a material of a given thickness (e.g., 1 mm) per unit area (e.g., 1 m²) per unit time (e.g., 24 h) at a specific temperature (e.g., 38° C.) and humidity differential (e.g., 90% relative humidity). Standard test methods for WVTR include ASTM E96-00, method E, ASTM D1653-03, and ASTM F1249-01.

As used herein, the term “material hardness” refers to indentation hardness of non-metallic materials in the form of a flat slab or button as measured with a durometer. The durometer has a spring-loaded indentor that applies an indentation load to the slab, thus sensing its hardness. The material hardness can indirectly reflect upon other material properties, such as tensile modulus, resilience, plasticity, compression resistance, and elasticity. Standard tests for material hardness include ASTM D2240-02b. Unless otherwise specified, material hardness reported herein is in Shore D. Material hardness is distinct from the hardness of a golf ball portion as measured directly on the golf ball (or other spherical surface). The difference in value is primarily due to the construction, size, thickness, and material composition of the golf ball components (i.e., center, core and/or layers) that underlie the portion of interest. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the material hardness and the hardness as measured on the ball are not correlated or convertible.

As used therein, the term “compression,” also known as “ATTI compression” or “PGA compression,” refers to points derived from a Compression Tester (ATTI Engineering Company, Union City, N.J.), a scale well known in the art for determining relative compression of a spherical object. Compression is a property of a material as measured on a golf ball construction (i.e., on-ball property), not a property of the material per se.

As used herein, the term “coefficient of restitution” or “COR” for golf balls is defined as the ratio of a ball's rebound velocity to its initial incoming velocity when the ball is fired out of an air cannon into a rigid vertical plate. The faster a golf ball rebounds, the higher the COR it has, the more the total energy it retains when struck with a club, and the longer the ball flies. The initial velocity is about 50 ft/s to about 200 ft/s, and is usually understood to be 125 ft/s, unless otherwise specified. A golf ball may have different COR values at different initial velocities.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to golf equipment such as golf balls, golf clubs (drivers, putters, woods, irons, and wedges, including heads and shafts thereof), golf shoes, golf gloves, golf bags, or the like that comprise novel polyurethane, polyurea, and/or poly(urethane-co-urea) compositions. The components of the compositions can be saturated, i.e., substantially free of double or triple carbon-carbon bonds or aromatic groups, to produce light stable compositions. Components that are unsaturated or partially saturated can also be used.

The compositions and materials formed therefrom can at least in part form at least one portion of the golf ball chosen from inner center, core, inner core layer, intermediate core layer, outer core layer, intermediate layer, cover, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer, outer cover layer, coating layer, discontinuous layer, wound layer, foamed layer, lattice network layer, web or net, adhesion or coupling layer, barrier layer, layer of uniformed or non-uniformed thickness, layer having a plurality of discrete elements, and layer filled with liquid, gel, powder, and/or gas. In one example, the material is used at least in part to form a cover layer having a thickness of 0.125 inch or less and a Shore D hardness of 20-80.

The compositions of the present disclosure typically comprise a reaction product of a polyisocyanate and one or more reactants. The reaction product may be material that is thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable. In one example, the reaction product can be a polyurethane formed from a polyurethane prepolymer and a curative, the polyurethane prepolymer being a reaction product of a polyol telechelic and an isocyanate. The polyol telechelic comprises at least two terminal hydroxyl end-groups that are independently primary, secondary, or tertiary. The polyol telechelic can further comprise additional hydroxyl groups that are independently located at the termini, attached directly to the backbone as pendant groups, and/or located within pendant moieties attached to the backbone. The polyol telechelic can be α,ω-hydroxy telechelics having isocyanate-reactive hydroxyl end-groups on opposing termini. All polyol telechelics are polyols, which also include monomers, dimers, trimers, adducts, and the like having two or more hydroxyl groups.

In another example, the reaction product can be a polyurea formed from a polyurea prepolymer and a curative, the polyurea prepolymer being a reaction product of a polyamine telechelic and an isocyanate. The polyamine telechelic comprises at least two terminal amine end-groups that are independently primary or secondary. The polyamine telechelic can further comprise additional amine groups that are independently primary or secondary, and are independently located at the termini, attached directly to the backbone as pendant groups, located within the backbone, or located within pendant moieties that are attached to the backbone. The secondary amine moieties may in part form single-ring or multi-ring heterocyclic structures having one or more nitrogen atoms as members of the rings. The polyamine telechelic can be α,ω-amino telechelics having isocyanate-reactive amine end groups on opposing termini. All polyamine telechelics are polyamines, which also include monomers, dimers, trimers, adducts, and the like having two or more amine groups.

In a further example, the reaction product can be a poly(urethane-urea) formed from a poly(urethane-urea) prepolymer and a curative. The poly(urethane-urea) prepolymer can be a reaction product of an isocyanate and a blend of polyol and polyamine telechelics. Alternatively, the poly(urethane-urea) prepolymer can be a reaction product of an aminoalcohol telechelic and an isocyanate. The aminoalcohol telechelic comprises at least one primary or secondary terminal amine end-group and at least one terminal hydroxyl end-group. The polyamine telechelic can further comprise additional amine and/or hydroxyl groups that are independently located at the termini, attached directly to the backbone as pendant groups, located within the backbone, or located within pendant moieties that are attached to the backbone. The secondary amine moieties may in part form single-ring or multi-ring heterocyclic structures having one or more nitrogen atoms as members of the rings. The aminoalcohol telechelic can be α-amino-ω-hydroxy telechelics having isocyanate-reactive amine and hydroxyl end groups on opposing termini. All aminoalcohol telechelics are aminoalcohols, which also include monomers, dimers, trimers, adducts, and the like having at least one amine group and at least one hydroxyl group.

Any one or combination of two or more of the isocyanate-reactive ingredients disclosed herein can react with stoichiometrically deficient amounts of polyisocyanate such as diisocyanate to form elastomers that are substantially free of hard segments. Such elastomers can have rubber elasticity and wear resistance and strength, and can be millable.

Polyamine telechelics have two, three, four, or more amine end-groups capable of forming urea linkages (such as with isocyanate groups), amide linkages (such as with carboxyl group), imide linkages, and/or other linkages with other organic moieties. As such, polyamine telechelics can be reacted with polyacids to form amide-containing polyamine or polyacid telechelics, be reacted with isocyanates to form polyurea prepolymers, and be used as curatives to cure various prepolymers. Any one or more of the hydrogen atoms in the polyamine telechelic (other than those in the terminal amine end-groups) may be substituted with halogens, cationic groups, anionic groups, silicon-based moieties, ester moieties, ether moieties, amide moieties, urethane moieties, urea moieties, ethylenically unsaturated moieties, acetylenically unsaturated moieties, aromatic moieties, heterocyclic moieties, hydroxy groups, amine groups, cyano groups, nitro groups, and/or any other organic moieties. For example, the polyamine telechelics may be halogenated, such as having fluorinated backbones and/or N-alkylated fluorinated side chains.

Any polyamine telechelics available or known to one of ordinary skill in the art are suitable for use in compositions of the present disclosure. The M_(w) of the polyamine telechelics can be about 100-20,000, such as about 150, about 200, about 230, about 500, about 600, about 1,000, about 1,500, about 2,000, about 2,500, about 3,000, about 3,500, about 4,000, about 5,000, about 8,000, about 10,000, about 12,000, about 15,000, or any M_(w) therebetween. The polyamine telechelic can comprise one or more hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic segments.

Exemplary polyamine telechelics, such as α,ω-amino telechelics, include polyamine polyhydrocarbons (e.g., polyamine polyolefins), polyamine polyethers, polyamine polyesters (e.g., polyamine polycaprolactones), polyamine polyamides (e.g., polyamine polycaprolactams), polyamine polycarbonates, polyamine polyacrylates (e.g., polyamine polyalkylacrylates), polyamine polysiloxanes, polyamine polyimines, polyamine polyimides, fatty polyamine telechelics, polyamine telechelics derived from acid-catalyzed polyol telechelics, derivatized polyamine telechelics, ethylenically and/or acetylenically unsaturated polyamine telechelics, and polyamine copolymers including polyamine polyolefinsiloxanes (such as α,ω-diamino poly(butadiene-dimethylsiloxane) and α,ω-diamino poly(isobutylene-dimethylsiloxane)), polyamine polyetherolefins (such as α,ω-diamino poly(butadiene-oxyethylene)), polyamine polyetheresters, polyamine polyethercarbonates, polyamine polyetheramides, polyamine polyetheracrylates, polyamine polyethersiloxanes, polyamine polyesterolefins (such as α,ω-diamino poly(butadiene-caprolactone) and α,ω-diamino poly(isobutylene-caprolactone)), polyamine polyesteramides, polyamine polyestercarbonates, polyamine polyesteracrylates, polyamine polyestersiloxanes, polyamine polyamideolefins, polyamine polyamidecarbonates, polyamine polyamideacrylates, polyamine polyamidesiloxanes, polyamine polyamideimides, polyamine polycarbonateolefins, polyamine polycarbonateacrylates, polyamine polycarbonatesiloxanes, polyamine polyacrylateolefins (such as α,ω-diamino poly(butadiene-methyl methacrylate), α,ω-diamino poly(isobutylene-t-butyl methacrylate), and α,ω-diamino poly(methyl methacrylate-butadiene-methyl methacrylate)), polyamine polyacrylatesiloxanes, polyamine polyetheresteramides, any other polyamine copolymers, as well as blends thereof. Suitable polyamine telechelics include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

An example of polyamine polyhydrocarbons has a generic structure of: R₁HNR₃_(x)R₄_(y)R₅_(z)—NHR₂  (1) where R₁ and R₂ are independently chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; R₃, R₄, and R₅ are independently chosen from linear, branched, cyclic (including monocyclic, aromatic, bridged cyclic, spiro cyclic, fused polycyclic, and ring assemblies), saturated, unsaturated, hydrogenated, and/or substituted hydrocarbon moieties having 1 to about 30 carbon atoms; x, y, and z are independently zero to about 200, and x+y+z≧2. R₁ and R₂ can be linear or branched structures having about 20 carbon atoms or less, such as 1-12 carbon atoms. R₃, R₄, and R₅ can independently have the structure C_(n)H_(m), where n is an integer of about 2-20, and m is zero to about 40. Any one or more of the hydrogen atoms in R₁ to R₅ may be substituted with halogens, cationic groups, anionic groups, silicon-based moieties, ester groups, ether groups, amide groups, urethane groups, urea groups, ethylenically unsaturated groups, acetylenically unsaturated groups, hydroxy groups, amine groups, or any other organic moieties. R₁ and R₂ can be identical. At least one of R₃, R₄, and R₅ can have the structure C_(n)H_(2n), n being an integer of about 2-12, and x+y+z is about 5-100.

The polyamine polyhydrocarbon can have one of the following structures: H₂NC_(n)H_(2n)∃_(x)—NH₂ H₂NC_(n)H_(2n)_(x)—NHR, or RHNC_(n)H_(2n)_(x)—NHR where x is the chain length, i.e., 1 or greater; n is about 1-12; and R is alkyl group having 1 to about 20, such as 1-12, carbon atoms, a phenyl group, a cyclic group, or mixture thereof.

Polyamine polyhydrocarbons are hydrophobic in general, and can provide reduced moisture absorption and permeability to the resulting compositions. Non-limiting examples of polyamine polyhydrocarbons include α,ω-diamino polyolefins such as α,ω-diamino polyethylenes, α,ω-diamino polypropylenes, α,ω-diamino polyethylenepropylenes, α,ω-diamino polyisobutylenes, α,ω-diamino polyethylenebutylenes (with butylene content of at least about 25% by weight, such as at least 50%), amine-terminated Kraton rubbers; α,ω-diamino polydienes such as α,ω-diamino polyisoprenes, partially or fully hydrogenated α,ω-diamino polyisoprenes, amine-terminated liquid isoprene rubbers, α,ω-diamino polybutadienes, partially and/or fully hydrogenated α,ω-diamino polybutadienes; as well as α,ω-diamino poly(olefin-diene)s such as α,ω-diamino poly(styrene-butadiene)s, α,ω-diamino poly(ethylene-butadiene)s, and α,ω-diamino poly(butadiene-styrene-butadiene)s.

One group of polyamine polyhydrocarbons is polyamine polyalkylenes having a plurality of secondary or tertiary amine moieties, such as those having the formula R′HN—R—N(R))_(n)—H, where R is the same or different alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; R′ is the same or different moieties chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; n is about 5 or greater, such as about 10 or greater. R and R′ can independently have 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, such as 1-12 carbon atoms, or about 1-4 carbon atoms.

Another group of polyamine polyhydrocarbons is polyamine polydienes, which also include polyamine poly(alkylene-diene)s, as well as blends thereof. Suitable polyamine polydienes have Mn of about 1,000-20,000, such as about 1,000-10,000, or about 3,000-6,000, and an amine functionality of about 1.6-10, such as about 1.8-6, or about 1.8-2. The diene monomers can be conjugated dienes such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, and mixtures thereof. The polyamine polydiene can be substantially hydrogenated to improve stability, such that at least about 90%, or at least about 95%, of the carbon-carbon double bonds in the polydiene are hydrogenated.

The elastomer compositions of the present disclosure can be resilient. Resilience can be measured, for example, by determining the percentage of the original height to which a ±½″ steel ball will rebound after being dropped onto an immobilized ±½″ thick elastomer sample from a height of one meter. A resilient elastomer can display a rebound height percentage of greater than 60%, such as greater than about 70%, or greater than about 75%.

Diamino polydienes and diamino copolydienes, among other polyamine telechelics, are capable of imparting high resiliency in the compositions. The diamino polydiene can be diamino polybutadiene having 1,4-addition of about 30-70%, such as about 40-60%. The diamino polybutadiene can have 1,2-addition of at least about 40%, such as about 40-60%. The hydrogenated diamino polybutadiene can remain liquid at ambient temperature. In one example, the diamino polybutadiene can be more than about 99% hydrogenated, having Mn of about 3,300, an amine functionality of about 1.92, and a 1,2-addition content of about 54%. In another example, the diamino polydiene can be diamino polyisoprene having 1,4-addition of at least about 80% and moderate glass transition temperature and viscosity.

One group of diamino copolydienes has a generic structure of:

where R₁ and R₂ are independently chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; R₃ is hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl group (such as methyl or t-butyl), cyano group, phenyl group, halide, or a mixture thereof; R₄ is hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl group, halide (such as chloride or fluoride), or a mixture thereof, x and y are independently about 1-200. R₁ and R₂ can be linear or branched, having about 20 carbon atoms or less, such as 1-12 carbon atoms. The y:x ratio can be about 82:18 to about 90:10. The diamino copolydiene can be substantially hydrogenated (i.e., substantially all of the >C═CH— or >C═CH₂moieties are hydrogenated into >CH—CH₂or >C—CH₃ moieties, respectively). One example can be hydrogenated diamino poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) where R₃ is cyano group and R₄ is hydrogen.

Polyamine polyhydrocarbons can also be derived from polyol polyhydrocarbons through means such as amination, or reaction with aminoalcohols, amino acids, or cyclic amides. For example, polyol polyhydrocarbons can be end-capped with 2-, 3-, and/or 4-aminobenzoic acid and the likes thereof as disclosed herein to form aminobenzoate derivatives, e.g., polymethylene-di-p-aminobenzoates.

Non-limiting examples of polyacid telechelics include polyacid polycaprolactones and polyacid polycaprolactams having generic structures of:

where R₃ is a linear, branched, or cyclic moiety having at least one carbon atom, such as about 2-60 carbon atoms; Z is the same or different moieties chosen from —and —NH—; R is the same or different moieties chosen from linear or branched aliphatic, alicyclic, araliphatic, and aromatic moieties having 1-60 carbon atoms; i is about 2-10, such as about 2-6; x is the same or different numbers of about 1-200, such as 5-100; and y is the same or different numbers of 0 or 1.

Fatty polyamine telechelics include hydrocarbon polyamine telechelics, adduct polyamine telechelics, and various oleochemical polyamine telechelics. Hydrocarbon polyamine telechelics can have an all-carbon backbone of about 8-100 carbon atoms, such as about 10, about 12, about 18, about 20, about 25, about 30, about 36, about 44, about 54, about 60, and any numbers therebetween. Fatty polyamine telechelics can be derived from corresponding fatty polyacids, such as by reacting the fatty polyacids with ammonia to obtain the corresponding nitriles which may then be hydrogenated to form the fatty polyamine telechelics. Alternatively, fatty polyamine telechelics can also be derived from corresponding fatty polyol telechelics through, for example, amination, reaction with suitable amino acids or esters thereof, reaction with suitable cyclic amides, or reaction with suitable polyamines or aminoalcohols. These fatty polyamine telechelics can be liquid.

One form of adduct polyamine telechelics can be dimer diamines, which can be aliphatic α,ω-diamines having relatively high molecular weight. Dimer diamines can have a dimer content of greater than about 90%, such as greater than about 95% by weight. The dimer diamines may be unsaturated, partly hydrogenated, or completely hydrogenated (i.e., fully saturated). Non-limiting dimer diamines can have one of the following structures:

where R is the same or different moieties chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; x+y and m+n are both at least about 8, such as at least about 10, such as 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, or greater.

Molecular weight of fatty polyamine telechelics can be about 200-15,000, such as about 250-12,000, or about 500-5,000. Fatty polyamine telechelics can be liquid at room temperature, having low to moderate viscosity at 25° C. (e.g., about 100-5,000 cP or about 500-3,000 cP). Fatty polyamine telechelics can have a total amine value of at least 150, at least 175, at least 185, at least 250, or at least 280, a primary amine value of at least 100, such as at least 135, at least 150, at least 165, or at least 175, and optionally a secondary amine value of at least 100, such as at least 135. Examples are available from HumKo Chemical of Memphis, Term. Fatty polyamine telechelics can be branched, such as with alkyl groups, suitable in forming soft segments, and in formulating solvent-free two pack full solid polyurethane/polyurea compositions. Fluid fatty polyamine telechelics can be used as reactive diluents in solvent-borne polyurethane/polyurea compositions to achieve higher solid content. Conventional volatile solvents such as xylene, butyl acetate, methoxy propylacetate, ethoxy propylacetate may be used in blends thereof.

Polyamine telechelics can be derived from corresponding polyacids, such as by reacting the polyacids with ammonia to obtain the corresponding nitriles which may then be hydrogenated to form the polyamine telechelics. Polyamine telechelics can also be derived from corresponding polyol telechelics through, for example, amination, reaction with suitable amino acids or esters thereof, reaction with suitable cyclic amides, or reaction with suitable polyamines or aminoalcohols. Amination, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, includes reductive amination of polyether polyols with ammonia and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst, hydrogenation of cyanoethylated polyols, amination of polyol/sulfonic acid esters, reacting polyols with epichlorohydrin and a primary amine, and any other methods known to the skilled artisan. Fatty polyacids and polyacid adducts such as the dimerized fatty acids as disclosed herein can be converted to fatty polyamines and dimer diamines through one or more of these mechanisms.

In one example, the derived polyamine telechelic can be a polyamine polyetherester having a generic structure of:

where R′₁, R₂, and Z′ are as described above, R is chosen from hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl group (such as methyl), phenyl group, halide, and mixture thereof, n is about 1-12, and x is about 1-200. Such polyamine polyetheresters can be obtained by end-capping polyol polyethers with 4-aminobenzoic acid and methyl or ethyl esters thereof, e.g., poly(1,4-butanediol)-bis(4-aminobenzoate) in liquid or waxy solid form, polyethyleneglycol-bis(4-aminobenzoate), polytetramethylene ether glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate, polypropyleneglycol-di-p-aminobenzoate, and mixtures thereof.

The reactivity of the reactive amine end-groups in polyamine telechelics can be moderated 1-0 to improve molecular-stability-of the resulting-products toward actinic radiations-such as UV light, by means of, for example, increasing steric hinderance around these amine end-groups. To impart hightened steric hinderance, the amino acids or esters of the generic structure above can have at least one branched aliphatic or substituted cyclic structure in Z′, wherein at least one structural condition chosen from the following is met: i) both R′₁HN and COOR′₂ adjoin a single carbon atom; ii) R′₁HN adjoins a tertiary carbon atom in Z′, iii) R′₁HN adjoins a secondary carbon atom (such as a methine carbon) in Z′, the secondary carbon being further adjoined to two other carbon atoms selected from tertiary and quaternary carbons; and iv) R′₁HN adjoins a secondary carbon atom in Z′, the secondary carbon being further adjoined to a quaternary carbon atom that adjoins COOR′₂. Generic structures of such amino acids or esters thereof include the following:

where R′₁ and R′₂ are as described above; R₁, R₂, R₄, and R₅ are independently chosen from linear or branched C₁ to C₆₀ organic moieties, such as C₁ to C₂₀ aliphatic hydrocarbon moieties, or C₁ to C₁₂ alkyl groups; R₃ is linear or branched C₁ to C₆₀ organic moiety, such as C₁ to C₂₀ aliphatic hydrocarbon moiety, or C₁ to C₁₂ alkylene moiety; R₆ and R₇ are the same or different linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted, organic moieties having about 20 carbon atoms or less, such as C₁ to C₁₂ aliphatic hydrocarbon moieties, or C₁ to C₄ alkylene moieties; and x, y, and z are independently 0 or 1. R′₁, and R₁ to R₇ may independently be linear or branched, substituted (such as halogenated) or unsubstituted, have one or more heteroatoms such as O, N, S, P, or Si, and/or have one or more cyclic structures. Suitable cyclic structures can be substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, having five or more ring members, three or more of which can be carbon atoms, and include monocyclics, polycyclics (fused, spiro, and/or bridged), and heterocyclics. A non-limiting example of suitable amino-acids is 1-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid.

One group of polyamine telechelics can be derived from the derivatized polyol telechelics as disclosed herein, thereby having ring-opened cyclic ether moieties at the termini attaching to the amine end-groups. General structure of such telechelics can be R₁HN—(Y—O)_(m)—X—O—(Z-O)_(n)—NHR₂, where R₁ and R₂ are independently chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; X is the backbone of the starting polyol telechelic HO-Z-OH; Y is the organic moiety of cyclic ether

Z is the organic moiety of cyclic ether;

m and n are the same or different numbers of 0 or more, and m+n is about 2-100, such as about 2-40. Y and Z can be the same or different, and can have 2 or more carbon atoms or 5 or more carbon atoms. Y and Z can independently have one or more heteroatoms such as O, S, N, and Si. The molecular weight of segment Z-O can be at least about 1% by weight of the M_(w) of the polyamine telechelic, the latter of which can be about 500-20,000, such as about 600, about 1,000, about 2,000, about 3,000, about 5,000, about 8,000, about 10,000, about 12,000, about 15,000, and any number therebetween.

Polyamines suitable for use in the present disclosure include any and all organic compounds having two, three, four, or more amine groups in the molecule that are capable of forming urea linkages (such as with isocyanate groups) or amide linkages (such as with carboxyl group). The polyamine can be aromatic, araliphatic, aliphatic, alicyclic, heterocyclic, saturated or unsaturated, and include diamines, triamines, tetramines, higher polyamines, fatty polyamines, alkylene polyamines, condensate polyamines, sterically hindered polyamines, and other polyamines, with the amine groups independently being primary or secondary. Depending on the number of isocyanate-reactive amine groups being present, polyamines may be referred to as diamines, triamines, tetramines, and other higher polyamines.

Fatty polyamines can have in the main carbon chain at least about 8 carbon atoms (including carbon atom(s) in the carboxylic acid group(s), if directly attached to the main carbon chain), such as 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 28, 30, 36, 40, 44, 50, 54, or 60 carbon atoms, or any numbers therebetween. The main carbon chain can be directed attached to at least one, such as two or more, isocyanate-reactive amine functionality, which can be primary and/or secondary. The fatty polyamines can be monomer diamines, dimer diamines or trimer triamines derived from fatty polyacids disclosed herein, using textbook techniques such as by reacting the dimerized fatty acids with ammonia to obtain the corresponding dimerized fatty nitriles which may then be hydrogenated to form the dimer diamines.

The fatty polyamines can have the formula R₁—(NH—R₂)_(x)—NH₂ where R₁ is a linear or branched-alkyl group having about 8-40 carbon atoms, such as about 10-35 carbon atoms, or about 12-18 carbon atoms; R₂ is a divalent moiety having 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, such as about 2-6 carbon atoms, or about 2-4 carbon atoms; and x is about 1-6, such as about 1-4. R₁ and R₂ can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or combination thereof. R₁ can be chosen from linear decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl and octadecyl, R₂ can be ethylene or propylene, and x is about 1-3. These fatty polyamines may be prepared by conventional methods, such as sequential cyanoethylation reduction reactions. Commercially available examples include those with R₁ being octadecyl, R₂ being propylene, and x being 1, 2 or 3 (tallow diamine, tallow triamine, and tallow tetramine, respectively), available from ExxonMobil Chemical Company of Houston, Tex.

Conventional polyamines can be fast reacting with isocyanates. In order to extend the pot-life of the composition and improve processability, polyamine reactivity may be moderated by sterically hinder the reactive amine groups. For example, 4,4′-bis-(sec-butylamino)-dicyclohexylmethane and N,N′-diisopropyl-isophorone diamine are secondary diamines having moderated reactivity. One or more or all of the reactable amine groups within the polyamine compound can be sterically hindered, so that the polyamine compound can provide the combination of reduced reactivity toward isocyanate groups, and improved chemical stability toward actinic radiations such as UV light.

Any polyol telechelics available or known to one of ordinary skill in the art are suitable for use in compositions of the disclosure. Polyol telechelic such as α,ω-dihydroxy telechelics, include polyol polyhydrocarbons (such as polyol polyolefins), polyol polyethers, polyol polyesters (such as polyol polycaprolactones), polyol polyamides (such as polyol polycaprolactams), polyol polycarbonates, polyol polyacrylates (such as polyol polyalkylacrylates), polyol polysiloxanes, polyol polyimines, polyol polyimides, fatty polyol telechelics, acid-catalyzed polyol telechelics, carbonate transesterified polyol telechelics, derivatized polyol telechelics, ethylenically and/or acetylenically unsaturated polyol telechelics, and polyol copolymers including polyol polyolefinsiloxanes (such as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(butadiene-dimethylsiloxane) and α,ω-dihydroxy poly(isobutylene-dimethylsiloxane)), polyol polyetherolefins (such as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(butadiene-oxyethylene)), polyol polyetheresters, polyol polyethercarbonates, polyol polyetheramides, polyol polyetheracrylates, polyol polyethersiloxanes, polyol polyesterolefins (such as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(butadiene-caprolactone) and α,ω-dihydroxy poly(isobutylene-caprolactone)), polyol polyesteramides, polyol polyestercarbonates, polyol polyesteracrylates, polyol polyestersiloxanes, polyol polyamideolefins, polyol polyamidecarbonates, polyol polyamideacrylates, polyol polyamidesiloxanes, polyol polyamideimides, polyol polycarbonateolefins, polyol polycarbonateacrylates, polyol polycarbonatesiloxanes, polyol polyacrylateolefins (such as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(butadiene-methyl methacrylate), α,ω-dihydroxy poly(isobutylene-t-butyl methacrylate), and α,ω-dihydroxy poly(methyl methacrylate-butadiene-methyl methacrylate)), polyol polyacrylatesiloxanes, polyol polyetheresteramides, any other polyol copolymers, as well as blends thereof. Other polyol telechelics can be derived from polyacid telechelics through reaction with polyols, aminoalcohols, and/or cyclic ethers, or derived from polyamine telechelics through reaction with hydroxy acids, cyclic esters, and/or cyclic ethers as disclosed herein.

The molecular weight of the polyol telechelics can be about 100-20,000, such as about 200, about 230, about 500, about 600, about 1,000, about 1,500, about 2,000, about 2,500, about 3,000, about 3,500, about 4,000, about 5,000, about 8,000, about 10,000, or any number therebetween. The polyol telechelics can have one or more hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic segments.

An example of polyol polyhydrocarbons has a generic structure of: HOR₃_(x)R₄_(y)R₅_(z)—OH  (55) where R₃ to R₅ are independently chosen from linear, branched, cyclic (including monocyclic, aromatic, bridged cyclic, spiro cyclic, fused polycyclic, and ring assemblies), saturated, unsaturated, hydrogenated, and/or substituted hydrocarbon moieties having about 2-30 carbon atoms; x, y, and z are independently zero to about 200, and x+y+z ≧2. R₃ to R₅ can independently have the structure C_(n)H_(m), where n is an integer of about 2-30, and m is zero to about 60. Any one or more of the hydrogen atoms in R₃ to R₅ may be substituted with halogens, cationic groups, anionic groups, silicon-based moieties, ester moieties, ether moieties, amide moieties, urethane moieties, urea moieties, ethylenically unsaturated moieties, acetylenically unsaturated moieties, aromatic moieties, heterocyclic moieties, hydroxy groups, amine groups, cyano groups, nitro groups, and/or any other organic moieties. One or more of R₃ to R₅ can have the structure C_(n)H_(2n), n being an integer of about 2-20, and x+y+z is about 5-100.

Polyol polyhydrocarbons are hydrophobic in general, and provide reduced moisture absorption and permeability to the elastomer compositions of the present disclosure. Non-limiting examples of polyol polyhydrocarbons include α,ω-dihydroxy polyolefins such as α,ω-dihydroxy polyethylenes, α,ω-dihydroxy polypropylenes, α,ω-dihydroxy polyethylenepropylenes, α,ω-dihydroxy polyisobutylenes, α,ω-dihydroxy polyethylenebutylenes (with butylene content of at least about 25% by weight, such as at least about 50%), hydroxyl-terminated Kraton rubbers; α,ω-dihydroxy polydienes such as α,ω-dihydroxy polyisoprenes, partially or fully hydrogenated α,ω-dihydroxy polyisoprenes, hydroxyl-terminated liquid isoprene rubbers, α,ω-dihydroxy polybutadienes, partially and/or fully hydrogenated α,ω-dihydroxy polybutadienes; as well as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(olefin-diene)s such as α,ω-dihydroxy poly(styrene-butadiene)s, α,ω-dihydroxy poly(ethylene-butadiene)s, and α,ω-dihydroxy poly(butadiene-styrene-butadiene)s.

The polyol polyhydrocarbons can be polyol polydienes, which also include polyol poly(alkylene-diene)s, as well as blend thereof. Polyol polydienes can have Mn of about 1,000-20,000, such as about 1,000-10,000 or about 3,000-6,000, and a hydroxyl functionality of about 1.6-10, such as about 1.8-6 or about 1.8-2. The diene monomers can be conjugated dienes, such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, and mixtures thereof. The polyol polydiene can be substantially hydrogenated to improve stability, such that at least about 90%, or at least about 95%, of the carbon-carbon double bonds in the polyol are hydrogenated.

Unhydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, and fully hydrogenated polydiene diols and copolydiene diols, among other polyol telechelics, are capable of imparting high resiliency in the compositions. The polydiene diol can be polybutadiene diol having 1,4-addition of about 30-70%, such as about 40-60%. The polybutadiene diol can have 1,2-addition of at least about 40%, such as about 40-60%, so that the hydrogenated polybutadiene diol remains liquid at ambient temperature. The polybutadiene diol can be more than about 99% hydrogenated, having M_(n) of about 3,300, a hydroxyl functionality of about 1.92, and a 1,2-addition content of about 54%. The polydiene diol can be a polyisoprene diol having 1,4-addition of at least about 80% to reduce glass transition temperature and viscosity.

One group of copolydiene diols has a generic structure of:

where R₃ is chosen from hydrogen, linear and branched alkyl groups (such as methyl), cyano group, phenyl group, halide, and mixture thereof; R₄ is chosen from hydrogen, linear and branched alkyl group (such as methyl), halide (such as chloride or fluoride), and mixture thereof; x and y are independently about 1-200. The y:x ratio can be about 82:18 to about 90:10. The copolydiene diol can be substantially hydrogenated (i.e., substantially all of the >C═CH— or >C═CH₂ moieties are hydrogenated into >CH═CH₂— or >C—CH₃ moieties, respectively). One example is hydrogenated poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) diol, where R₃ is cyano group, and R₄ is hydrogen.

An example of the polyol polyesters has a generic structure of:

where R₃ to R₉ are independently chosen from linear, branched, and cyclic moieties having 1 to about 60 carbon atoms; Z is the same or different moieties chosen from —O— and —NH—; i is about 2-10, such as about 2-6; x is about 1-200, and y and z are independently zero to about 200. The number x can be the same or different numbers. R₃ to R₉ can independently have the structure C_(n)H_(m), where n is an integer of about 2-30, and m is an integer of about 2-60. Any one or more of the hydrogen atoms in R₃ to R₉ may be substituted with halogens, cationic groups, anionic groups, silicon-based moieties, ester groups, ether groups, amide groups, urethane groups, urea groups, ethylenically unsaturated groups, acetylenically unsaturated groups, amine groups, hydroxyl groups, or any other organic moieties. R₃ and R₆ can be identical, having a structure C_(n)H_(2n), n being an integer of about 2-30, x+y+z is about 1-100, such as about 5-50.

The polyol polyester can have a crystallization enthalpy of at most about 70 J/g and M_(n) of about 1,000-7,000, such as about 1,000-5,000. This polyol polyester can be blended with a polyol polyether having M_(n) of about 500-2,500. The average hydroxyl functionality of the blend, which is the ratio of total number of hydroxyl groups in the blend to total number of telechelic molecules in the blend, can be about 2-2.1. The polyol polyester can have an ester content (number of ester bonds/number of all carbon atoms) of about 0.2 or less, such as about 0.08-0.17.

The polyester chain can be formed from condensation polymerization reaction of polyacids and/or anhydrides with excess polyols. Alternatively, the polyester chain can be formed at least in part from ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters. The polyester chain can also be formed at least in part from polymerization of hydroxy acids, including those that structurally correspond to the cyclic esters. Obviously, the polyester chain can comprise multiple segments formed from polyacids, anhydrides, polyols, cyclic esters, and/or hydroxy acids, non-limiting examples of which are disclosed herein. Suitable reactants also include polyacid telechelics, polyol telechelics, and hydroxy acid polymers. In one example, at least one polyacid, anhydride, polyol, cyclic ester, or hydroxy acids having M_(w) of at least about 200, such as at least about 400, or at least about 1,000, is used to form the polyester chain. In another example, the polyester chain has 1 to about 100 ester linkages, such as about 2-50, or about 2-20.

The polyol polyesters can be formed from the condensation of one or more polyols having about 2-18 carbon atoms, such as about 2-6 carbon atoms, with one or more polycarboxylic acids or their anhydrides having from about 2-14 carbon atoms. Non-limiting examples of polyols include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol such as 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,3-propylene glycol, glycerol, pentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, 1,4,6-octanetriol, butanediol, pentanediol, hexanediol, dodecanediol, octanediol, chloropentanediol, glycerol monoallyl ether, glycerol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol, 2-ethylhexanediol-1,4, cyclohexanediol-1,4, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, neopental glycol, 1,3,5-hexanetriol, 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)propane and the like. Cyclic ethers having about 2-18 carbon atoms may be used in place of or in addition to the polyols. Non-limiting examples of polycarboxylic acids include phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, tetrachlorophthalic acid, maleic acid, dodecylmaleic acid, octadecenylmaleic acid, fumaric acid, aconitic acid, trimellitic acid, tricarballylic acid, 3,3′-thiodipropionic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, malonic acid, glutaric acid, pimelic acid, sebacic acid, cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, 1,4-cyclohexadiene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, 3-methyl-3,5-cyclohexadiene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid and the corresponding acid anhydrides, acid chlorides and acid esters such as phthalic anhydride, phthaloyl chloride and the dimethyl ester of phthalic acid.

Examples of polyol polyesters include, without limitation, poly(ethylene adipate) diols, poly(butylene adipate) diols, poly(1,4-butylene glutarate) diols, poly(ethylene propylene adipate) diols, poly(ethylene butylene adipate) diols, poly(hexamethylene adipate) diols, poly(hexamethylene butylene adipate) diols, poly(hexamethylene phthalate) diols, poly(hexamethylene terephthalate) diols, poly(2-methyl-1,3-propylene adipate) diols, poly(2-methyl-1,3-propylene glutarate) diols, and poly(2-ethyl-1,3-hexylene sebacate) diols. Non-limiting examples of polyester polyols based on fatty polyacids or polyacid adducts, such as those disclosed herein, include poly(dimer acid-co-ethylene glycol) hydrogenated-diols and poly(dimer acid-co-1,6-hexanediol-co-adipic acid) hydrogenated diols.

An example of the polyol polycaprolactones has a generic structure of:

where R₃, Z, i, x are as described above. The number x can the same or different, and can be about 5-100. Suitable polycaprolactone polyols include, but are not limited to, polyol-initiated and polyamine-initiated ring-opening polymerization products of caprolactone, and polymerization products of hydroxy caproic acid. Suitable polyol and polyamine initiators include any polyols and polyamines available to one of ordinary skill in the art, such as those disclosed herein, as well as any and all of the polyol telechelics and polyamine telechelics of the present disclosure. The caprolactone monomer can be replaced by or blended with any other cyclic esters and/or cyclic amides as disclosed herein.

Polyamine-initiated and polyol-initiated polycaprolactone polyols include, but are not limited to, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether initiated polycaprolactone polyols, 2-(2-aminoethylamino) ethanol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polyoxyethylene diol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, propylene diol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polyoxypropylene diol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, 1,4-butanediol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, trimethylolpropane-initiated polycaprolactone polyols, hexanediol-initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polytetramethylene ether diol initiated polycaprolactone polyols, bis(2-aminoethyl)amine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, 2-(2-aminoethylamino) ethylamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polyoxyethylene diamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, propylene diamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polyoxypropylene diamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, 1,4-butanediamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, neopentyl diamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, hexanediamine-initiated polycaprolactone polyols, polytetramethylene ether diamine initiated polycaprolactone polyols, and mixtures thereof.

Fatty polyol telechelics include adduct polyol telechelics and various oleochemical polyol telechelics. Fatty polyol telechelics can have an all-carbon backbone of about 8-100 carbon atoms, such as about 10, about 12, about 18, about 20, about 25, about 30, about 36, about 44, about 54, about 60, and any numbers therebetween. Oleochemical polyol telechelics are often derived from natural fats and oils which, if not having hydroxyl groups already, can have double bonds and/or carboxyl groups that may he converted into hydroxyl-groups. Double bonds-on-fatty acids can be epoxidized by hydrogen peroxide to form multiple oxirane functionalities. These epoxidized fats and oils can be liquid at ambient temperature, and can be used as phthalate-free, non-volatile, extraction and migration resistant plasticizers/stabilizers, as polymer building blocks for non-urethane compositions (e.g., linoleum, synthetic leather), or as crosslinking agents for hydroxyl and/or carboxyl-terminated polymers (e.g., polyesters, polyurethane, polyacrylate resins). They can be reacted with low molecular weight mono- and/or polyfunctional alcohols, acids, and/or or hydroxy acids to form ether polyols and/or ester polyols, which may or may not contain oxirane groups (i.e., through incomplete or complete reactions, respectively). Fatty polyol telechelics derived as such can be liquid, of relatively low molecular weight, and may have reactive hydroxyl groups in the ester positions only (i.e., fatty acid polyol esters like glycerol monostearate), in the hydrocarbon chain only (i.e., fatty acid polyol esters of monofunctional alcohols), or both (i.e., fatty acid polyol esters such as ricinoleic acid monoglyceride). These fatty polyol telechelics can be free of triglyceride ester linkages.

One form of adduct polyol telechelics can be dimer diols, which can be aliphatic α,ω-diols having relatively high molecular weight. Dimer diols can be produced by polymerization (e.g., dimerization) of one or more monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty monoalcohols, such as palmitoleyl, oleyl, elaidyl, linolyl, linolenyl and/or erucyl alcohols. The resulting dimer diols can be mixtures having a major content (e.g., greater than about 50% by weight of the mixture) of dimer diols and relatively minor contents (e.g., less than about 30%) of the monomer alcohols, trimers, and/or higher oligomers.

Dimer diols can also be prepared from dimer diacids and/or esters thereof, including dimethylesters and hydroxy acid methylesters, such as those disclosed herein, by means of hydrogenation or condensation with polyols (e.g., ethylene glycols) and/or polyacids (e.g., azelaic acids). The former can yield hydrocarbon polyol telechelics, whereas the later can yield polyol polyesters. Starting from a distilled dimer diacid, hydrogenation can produce dimer diols having a dimer content of greater than about 90%, such as greater than about 95% by weight. The resulting dimer diols may be unsaturated, partly hydrogenated, or completely hydrogenated (i.e., fully saturated). Likewise, castor oil can produce, through hydrolysis, esterification or transesterification, and hydrogenation, 12-hydroxystearyl alcohol having one primary and one secondary hydroxyl group and a relatively high molecular weight.

Non-limiting dimer diols can have one of the following structures:

where x+y and m+n are both at least about 8, such as at least about 10, such as 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, or greater.

Molecular weight of fatty polyol telechelics can be about 200-15,000, such as about 250-12,000, or about 500-5,000. Fatty polyol telechelics can be liquid at room temperature, having low to moderate viscosity at 25° C. (e.g., about 100-10,000 cP or about 500-5,000 cP). It is postulated that highly branched polyols in general has desirable resistance to hydrolysis. As such, the fatty polyol telechelics can be branched, such as with alkyl groups, thereby displaying improved chemical stability, improved color stability (i.e., reduced yellowing because of reduction or elimination of unsaturation), high mechanical strength and durability, suitable in forming soft segments, and in formulating solvent-free two pack full solid polyurethane/polyurea compositions. Because of their fluidity, these fatty polyol telechelics can be used as reactive diluents in solvent-borne polyurethane/polyurea compositions to achieve higher solid content. Conventional volatile solvents such as xylene, butyl acetate, methoxy propylacetate, ethoxy propylacetate may still be necessary to improve compatibility of resin and polyisocyanate, avoid phase separation, and adjust viscosity, but the level of these non-reactive diluents can be significantly reduced.

The polyol can have a relatively low molecular weight, such as 150, 180, 300, 400, 500, 700, 800, 1,000, and any number therebetween. The polyol can be of a single molecular species, or a blend of two or more suitable polyol telechelics. One polyol can be present in an amount of 50-100% by weight. One or more aliphatic polyols as disclosed herein (e.g., C₃ to C₁₂ aliphatic polyols like 1,5-pentanediol, 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, 1,10-decanediol), in an amount of 0-50% by weight, can be mixed with the first polyol. Small quantities of trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, and/or pentaerythritol may be mixed in for branching. In one example, the polyol comprises 50-100 mole % of at least a first diol and 0-50 mole % of at least a second diol, both independently chosen from 1,5-pentanediol, 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, 1,10-decanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tetrapropylene glycol, other oligomer diols of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide, and other aliphatic diols.

Polyols include, but are not limited to, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Fatty polyols include fatty diols and fatty triols such as 1,9,10-trihydroxyoctadecane. Other non-limiting examples include triols and tetraols having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less, or 500 or less, or 300 or less, preferably at least about 240, like polycaprolactone triols.

As used herein, the term “aminoalcohol telechelic” refers to telechelic polymers having at least one terminal amine end-group and at least one terminal hydroxyl end-group. Any such aminoalcohol telechelics available to one of ordinary skill in the art are suitable for use in compositions of the present disclosure. Aminoalcohols useful in the present disclosure include any and all monomers, oligomers, and polymers having at least one free isocyanate-reactive hydroxy group and at least one free isocyanate-reactive amine group. Suitable aminoalcohol telechelics and aminoalcohols include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

As used herein, the term “polyacids” encompasses diacids, triacids, tetracids, other higher acids, as well as acid anhydrides, dianhydrides, chlorides, esters, dimers, trimers, oligomers, polymers, and any other structures capable of forming at least two ester or amide linkages. Suitable organic polyacids include, but are not limited to, organic monomeric diacids having about 2-60 carbon atoms, such as branched or linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acids having about 2-44 carbon atoms, alkane dicarboxylic acids having about 6-22 carbon atoms, cyclic or cycloaliphatic dicarboxylic acids having about 6-44 carbon atoms, and aromatic dicarboxylic acids having about 8-44 carbon atoms. The polyacids can be aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and alicyclic dicarboxylic acids having para-, meta- and/or ortho-positioned dicarboxylic acid moieties.

Non-limiting examples of polyacids include unsaturated aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic-acid, citraconic acid, and mesaconic acid; saturated aliphatic polycarboxylic acids such as oxalic acid, malonic acid, glyceric acid, dimethyl malonic acid, succinic acid, methylsuccinic acid, diglycolic acid, glutaric acid, 3-methylglutaric acid, 2,2- and 3,3-dimethylglutaric acid, adipic acid, 2,2,4- and 2,4,4-trimethyladipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, dodecanedioic acid, brassylic acid, tetradecanedioic acid, pentadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, octadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedicarboxylic acid, octadecanedicarboxylic acid, nonadecanedicarboxylic acid, and eicosanedicarboxylic acid; alicyclic dicarboxylic acids such as 1,1-cyclopropanedicarboxylic acid, 1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid, 1,2- and 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, 4,4′-dicaboxydicyclohexylmethane, 3,3′-dimethyl-4,4′-dicarboxydicyclohexylmethane, 4,4′-dicarboxydicyclohexylpropane, 1,4-bis(carboxymethyl)cyclohexane, 2,3-, 2,5-, and 2,6-norbornanedicarboxylic acid, tetrahydrophthalic acid, hexahydrophthalic acid, hexahydroterephthalic acid, hexahydroisophthalic acid, and hexahydronaphthalic acid; aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, tributylisophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, nitrophthalic acid, 5-methylisophtalic acid, 2-methylterephtalic acid, 2-chloroterephtalic acid, naphthalic acid, diphenic acid, 4,4′-diphenyldicarboxylic acid, 4,4′-oxydibenzoic acid, and 1,3-phenylenedioxy diacetic acid; tricarboxylic acids, tetracarboxylic acids, and the like, such as hexanetricarboxylic acid, hexanetetracarboxylic acid, 1,2,3,4-cyclobutanetetracarboxylic acid, 2,2-dimethylcyclobutane-1,1,3,3-tetracarboxylic acid, 1,2,3,4-cyclopentanetetracarboxylic acid, cis,cis-1,3,5-trimethyl-cyclohexane-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, aconitic acid, 1,2,3-benzenetricarboxylic acid, trimellitic acid, trimesic acid, 2-methylbenzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, pyromellitic acid, 3,4,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid, 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid, and mellitic acid.

Non-limiting examples of acid anhydrides include aliphatic diacid anhydrides such as maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and citraconic anhydride; aromatic diacid anhydrides such as phthalic anhydride. Non-limiting examples of acid dianhydrides include pyromellitic dianhydride, naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, and 3,3,4,4-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride. Non-limiting examples of carboxylic acid (co)polymers, which can have M, of about 1,000-15,000, include dicarboxy-terminated polybutadienes, poly(meth)acrylic acids, polyitaconic acids, copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid and maleic acid, copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid and styrene, dicarboxy-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diacid), and dicarboxy-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-dimer acid).

The polyacid may further contain various moieties such as, but are not limited to, heterocyclic rings, nitro groups, amine groups, imine groups, carbonyl groups, hydroxyl groups, ether bonds, ester bonds, amide bonds, imide groups, urethane bonds, urea bonds, and/or ionic groups. Non-limiting examples of ketodiacids are oxaloacetic acids, 2- and 3-oxoglutaric acid, and dimethyl-3-oxoglutaric acid. Non-limiting examples of heterocyclic diacids are dinicotinic acid, dipicolinic acid, lutidinic acid, quinolinic acid, and pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid. Ionic groups can be anionic groups, such as carboxylates, sulfonates, and phosphates. Non-limiting examples are alkali metal salts of sulfoisophthalic acid, such as sodium 3-sulfoisophthalate and potassium 3-sulfoisophthalate. Other useful polyacids include salts of tri- or tetrasulfonic acids, such as trisodium salt of naphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, the trisodium salt of 8-tetradecyloxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, and the tetrasodium salt of pyrene-1,3,6,8-tetrasulfonic acid.

Fatty polyacids can be derived from monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids through reactions involving the double bonds, such as ozonolysis (e.g., forming azelaic acid from oleic acid), caustic oxidation (e.g., forming sebacic acid from ricinoleic acid or castor oil), and polymerization (e.g., dimerization). Polymeric fatty acids can be formed from a polymerization reaction of a saturated, ethylenically unsaturated, or acetylenically unsaturated fatty acid and at least one compound to provide a second acid moiety or a functional group convertible to the second acid moiety. Polymeric fatty acids may result from the polymerization of oils or free acids or esters thereof, via dienic Diels-Alder reaction to provide a mixture of dibasic and higher polymeric fatty acids. In place of these methods of polymerization any other method of polymerization may be employed, whether the resultant polymer possesses residual unsaturation or not

Fatty acids can be long-chain monobasic fatty acids having a C₆ or longer chain, such as C₁₁ or longer or C₁₆ or longer, and C₂₄ or shorter, such as C₂₂ or shorter. Unsaturated fatty acids and esters thereof can be monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated, monocarboxylic and/or polycarboxylic, and include, without limitation, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitoleic acid, elaidic acid, erucic acid, hexadecenedioic acid, octadecenedioic acid, vinyl-tetradecenedioic acid, eicosedienedioic acid, dimethyl-eicosedienedioic acid, 8-vinyl-10-octadecenedioic acid, methyl, ethyl, and other esters (such as linear or branched alkyl esters) thereof, and mixtures thereof. Also dimerizable are fatty acid mixtures obtained in the hydrolysis of natural fats and/or oils, such as olive oil fatty acids, sunflower oil fatty acids, soybean fatty acids, corn oil fatty acids, canola fatty acids, cottonseed oil fatty acids, coriander oil fatty acids, tallow fatty acids, coconut fatty acids, rapeseed oil fatty acids, fish oil fatty acids, tall oil fatty acids, methyl, ethyl, and other esters thereof, and mixtures thereof.

The polymeric fatty acids can be adduct acid, such as adduct diacid formed between a conjugated ethylenically unsaturated fatty acid (e.g., linoleic acid, soybean oil fatty acid, tall oil fatty acid) and a short-chain unsaturated acid (e.g., acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid). Methods for producing such adduct acids are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,136,055, 5,053,534, 4,156,095, and 3,753,968. Alternatively, the polymeric fatty acid can be obtained by hydroformylating an unsaturated fatty acid and then oxidizing it into fatty dicarboxylic acid. For example, oleic acid can be reacted with carbon monoxide and hydrogen to form 9(10)-formyloctadecanoic acid, which can then be oxidized to 9(10)-carboxyoctadecanoic acid.

Polymeric fatty acids may also be obtained in known manners (e.g., addition polymerization using heat and a catalyst) from one monobasic fatty acid or a blend of two or more monobasic fatty acids, the monobasic fatty acids being saturated, ethylenically unsaturated, or acetylenically unsaturated. The resulting polymeric fatty acids are often referred to in the art as dimers (i.e., dimerized fatty acids), trimers (i.e., trimerized fatty acids) and so forth (e.g., oligomeric fatty acids). Saturated monobasic fatty acids can be polymerized at elevated temperatures with a peroxidic catalyst such as di-t-butyl peroxide. Suitable saturated monobasic fatty acids include linear or branched acids such as caprylic acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, isopalmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, and lignoceric acid.

Ethylenically unsaturated monobasic fatty acids and esters thereof can be polymerized via non-catalytic polymerization at a higher temperature, or using catalysts such as acid or alkaline clays, di-t-butyl peroxide, boron, trifluoride and other Lewis acids, anthraquinone, sulfur dioxide and the like. Methods of dimerizing unsaturated fatty acids and their esters are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,903, among others. Suitable monomers include linear or branched acids having at least one ethylenically unsaturated bond, such as about 2-5 of such bonds, like 3-octenoic acid, 11-dodecanoic acid, linderic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, hiragonic acid, eleostearic acid, punicic acid, catalpic acid, licanoic acid, clupadonic acid, clupanodonic acid, lauroleic acid, myristoleic acid, tsuzuic acid, palmitoleic acid, gadoleic acid, cetoleic acid, nervonic acid, moroctic acid, timmodonic acid, arachidonic acid (i.e., eicosatetraenoic acid), nisinic acid, scoliodonic acid, and chaulmoogric acid.

Acetylenically unsaturated monobasic fatty acids can be polymerized by simply heating the acid. The polymerization of these highly reactive materials can occur in the absence of a catalyst. Any acetylenically unsaturated fatty acid, linear or branched, mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated, are useful monomers for the preparation of polymeric fatty acids. Suitable examples of such materials include 10-undecynoic acid, tariric acid, stearolic acid, behenolic acid and isamic acid.

Polymerization reaction of the monobasic fatty acids as described above, include so-called dimeric fatty acids, are commonly structural isomer mixtures containing a predominant proportion (about 45-95% by weight or greater) of aliphatic and alicyclic dimer diacids (such as C₃₆ or C₄₄ diacids), a small quantity (about 1-35% by weight) of trimer acids and higher polymeric fatty acids (such as C₅₄₊ polyacids), and some (up to about 20% by weight) residual monomers (such as C₁₈ or C₂₂ branched chain monoacids). The ratio between the reactants in the disclosed process is known in the art as a topological ratio. Commercial products of these polymeric fatty acids can contain about 75-95% by weight of dimeric acids, about 4-22% by weight of trimeric acids, about 1-3% by weight of monomeric acid. The molar ratio of dimeric to trimeric acid can be about 5:1 to about 36:1. The relative ratios of monomer, dimer, trimer and higher polymer in un-fractionated dimer acid can be dependent on the nature of the starting materials and the conditions of polymerization and subsequent distillation.

Dimerized fatty acids may be “crude”, i.e., obtained directly from dimerization without distillation, or refined to increase dimer concentration. Refined dimerized acids such as partially or fully hydrogenated dimer fatty acids can have a dimer content of about 95% by weight or greater, such as at least about 97%, a monomer content of about 1%, a trimer content of about 3%, an acid value of about 193-201, a saponification value of about 198, and an iodine value of about 95. Hydrogenated dimer fatty acids can reduce aesthetically unpleasing color. The degree of hydrogenation can correspond to an iodine value of about 110 or less, such as about 95 or less, according to ASTM D1959-97 or D5768-O₂. The fatty polyacids, such as the dimer diacids and diesters thereof, can be substantially free of interesters, the presence of which may hinder subsequent polymerization reactions. Methods for reducing interester content in fatty polyacids include hydrolysis/extraction as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,903, which is incorporated herein by reference. The fatty polyacids or esters thereof can have an interester content of about 0.2% by weight or less, such as about 0.05% or less.

Dimer diacids may be unsaturated, partly hydrogenated, or completely hydrogenated (i.e., fully saturated). Non-limiting dimer diacids can have one of the following structures:

where R is the same or different moieties chosen from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, and alkoxy groups; x+y and m+n are both at least about 8, such as at least about 10, such as 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, or greater.

Fatty polyacids can have at least one divalent hydrocarbon radical having at least 30 carbon atoms, such as 36-180 carbon atoms, which can be linear, branched, cyclic, and/or substituted, such as monocycloaliphatic moiety having a 6-membered carbon ring (e.g., cyclohexene ring), bicycloaliphatic moiety having a 10-membered carbon ring, and substituted aliphatic moiety (e.g., halogenated aliphatic moiety such as fluoroaliphatic polyacids). Fatty polyacids such as dimer diacids can have an acid value of 150-250, such as 170-200 or 190-200, a saponification value of 170-210, and a viscosity at 25° C. of 50,000 cSt or less, such as 30,000 cSt or less, 10,000 cSt or less, 500 cSt or greater, like 600 cSt, 7,500 cSt, 8,500 cSt, 9,000 cSt, and any viscosity therebetween. Examples are available from HumKo Chemical of Memphis, Term. Fatty polyacids can be branched, such as with linear or branched alkyl groups. Fluid fatty polyacids can be used as reactive diluents in solvent-borne polyurethane/polyurea compositions to achieve higher solid content.

Polymeric fatty acids and other polyacids as described above, as well as methods to produce such polyacids can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,670,429, 6,310,174, 6,187,903, 5,545,692, 5,326,815, 4,937,320, 4,582,895, 4,536,339, and 4,508,652, among others. To form reactive polymers of the present disclosure, polymeric fatty acids or esters thereof can also be epoxidized, for example by reaction with peracetic acid, performic acid or with hydrogen peroxide and formic acid or acetic acid. Suitable epoxidized fatty acids and esters are described in British Patent Nos. 810,348 and 811,797. Dimer acids can be converted to dimer diols, dimer diamines, and/or dimer diisocyanates, all of which are suitable for the compositions of the present disclosure.

Any and all amino acids known and/or available to one skilled in the art, which have at least one reactive amine group (such as primary amine group) and at least on acid group (such as carboxylic acid group), can be used in the present disclosure. Also useful are cyclic amides of the corresponding amino acids, and amino esters (such as methyl and ethyl esters) of the corresponding amino acids. Any and all hydroxy acids known and/or available to one skilled in the art, which have at least one reactive hydroxyl group and at least on acid group (such as carboxylic acid group), are suitable for use in the present disclosure. Also useful are cyclic esters of the corresponding amino acids, and hydroxy esters (such as methyl and ethyl esters) of the corresponding hydroxy acids. Suitable amino acids, cyclic amides, amino esters, hydroxyl acids, cyclic esters, hydroxyl esters, cyclic ethers, and other cyclic compounds include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Any one or blend of two or more isocyanate-functional compounds available to one of ordinary skill in the art may be suitable for use in compositions of the present disclosure. Isocyanate-functional compounds can be organic isocyanates in general, and may have an isocyanate functionality of about 1 (i.e., monoisocyanates), such as about 2 or greater (i.e., polyisocyanates). Polyisocyanates for use according to the disclosure can include monomers, dimers (such as uretdiones of identical polyisocyanates and isocyanate derivatives of dimer acids or dimer amines), trimers (such as isocyanurates of identical or different polyisocyanates, isocyanate derivatives of trimer acids or trimer amines), tetramers, oligomers (oligoisocyanates and polyisocyanates which can be prepared from the diisocyanates, triisocyanates, or combinations of two or more thereof, having one or more coupling means such as urethane, allophanate, urea, biuret, uretdione, amide, isocyanurate, carbodiimide, uretonimine, oxadiazinetrione, and/or iminooxadiazinedione structures, and isocyanate derivatives of oligomer polyacids or oligomer polyamines), adducts (such as uretdiones of different polyisocyanates and isocyanate derivatives of adduct polyacids or adduct polyamines), polymers (such as isocyanate derivatives of polymer polyacids or polymer polyamines), polyisocyanate-terminated prepolymers, low-free-isocyanate prepolymers, quasi-prepolymers, isomers thereof, modified derivatives thereof, and combinations of two or more thereof. Structure of the isocyanate reactant can partially or fully be substituted, unsubstituted, saturated, unsaturated, hydrogenated, aliphatic, alicyclic, cyclic, polycyclic, aromatic, araliphatic, heteroaliphatic, and/or heterocyclic.

Exemplary polyisocyanates include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. One or more or all of the reactable isocyanate groups-within the polyisocyanate compound can be sterically hindered, so that the polyisocyanate compound provide the combination of reduced reactivity toward active hydrogen groups such as primary and secondary amines, and improved chemical stability toward actinic radiations such as UV light. The polyisocyanate can have NCO groups of different reactivity, i.e., being regioselective. Reactants having high regioselectivity in general can enable efficient use in consecutive reactions such as polymerization steps and crosslinking. They can provide cost advantages by reducing waste of functional groups (i.e., reduction in unreacted reactants), provide handling advantages by reducing volatile “leftover” molecules, and provide performance advantages by enabling controlled architecture in the reaction products (e.g., reduced polydispersity). Polyisocyanates can be derived from the fatty polyacids of the present disclosure. The fatty polyisocyanates can have the same hydrocarbon structures as the fatty polyacids, except that each COOH group is replaced by an NCO group. For example, dimer diacids can be used to form saturated and/or unsaturated dimer diisocyanates. Dimer diisocyanates may be linear, branched (such as with linear or branched alkyl groups), cyclic, and/or substituted, and can be unsaturated, partly hydrogenated, or completely hydrogenated (i.e., fully saturated). Non-limiting dimer diisocyanates can have one of the following structures:

where x+y and m+n are both at least about 8, such as at least about 10, such as 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or greater.

Fatty polyisocyanates can have at least one divalent hydrocarbon radical having at least 30 carbon atoms, such as 36-180 carbon atoms, which can be linear, branched, cyclic, and/or substituted, such as monocycloaliphatic moiety having a 6-membered carbon ring (e.g., cyclohexene ring), bicycloaliphatic moiety having a 10-membered carbon ring, and substituted aliphatic moiety (e.g., halogenated aliphatic moiety such as fluoroaliphatic polyisocyanates). Fatty polyisocyanates such as dimer diisocyanates are water insensitive, have controllable reactivity and low toxicity when compared to other aliphatic polyisocyanates. The fatty polyisocyanates can have a % NCO content of 20% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less, 5% or greater, or any amounts therebetween, such as 6-9%, 12-16%, 13-15%, or 13.6-14.3%. The fatty polyisocyanates can have a molecular weight of 250 or greater, such as 500 or greater or 600 or greater, and up to about 15,000, such as about 500-10,000. Fatty polyisocyanates can be liquid at room temperature, having low to moderate viscosity at 25° C. (e.g., about 100-10,000 cP or about 500-5,000 cP). Other dimer diisocyanates are described in, for example, Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 1979, volume 7, 3^(rd) edition, p. 768-782, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., the disclosure of which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

Any and all of the compounds having two or more isocyanate-reactive functionalities as disclosed herein may be used as curatives to cure prepolymers into thermoplastic or thermoset compositions. These curatives can be polyamines, polyols, aminoalcohols, polyamine telechelics, and polyol telechelics, and aminoalcohol telechelics. To further improve the shear resistance of the resulting elastomers, trifunctional curatives, tetrafunctional curatives, and higher functionality curatives can be used to increase crosslink density. These compounds may have a molecular weight of 200 or greater, or 230 to 3,000, or 230 to 1,000, or 230 to 500, such as 300, or 400, or any ranges between any two of such numbers. The curative may be modified with a freezing point depressing agent to create a curative blend having a slow onset of solidification and storage-stable pigment dispersion. Curatives comprising one or more ethylenic and/or acetylenic unsaturation moieties can be used to incorporate these moieties into the resulting material for subsequent crosslinking. Suitable curatives and blends of two or more thereof include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,835,794, 5,484,870, and 4,808,691, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The compositions of the disclosure may comprise at least one polyurea formed from the well-known one-shot method or prepolymer method. In the latter, polyamine telechelic is reacted with excess polyisocyanate to form polyurea prepolymer, which is then reacted with curative to form the polyurea. Prepolymer to curative ratio can be as high as 1:0.9 or 1:0.95, such as when primary polyamine curatives are used, or as low as 1:1.1 or 1:1.05, such as 1:1.02, such as when secondary polyamine curatives are used. Curative includes polyamines, polyols, polyacids, aminoalcohols, aminoacids, and hydroxy acids, especially those disclosed herein, as well as epoxy-functional reactants, thio-containing reactants, and any other isocyanate-reactive compounds and materials. The polyurea composition can be castable, thermoplastic, thermoset, or millable.

The polyurea prepolymer can be low-melting (such as being fluid at about 125° C.) or fluid at ambient temperature. The content of reactable isocyanate moieties in the polyurea prepolymer, expressed as % NCO by weight, can be less than about 30%, such as about 15%, about 11%, about 9%, about 7%, or even less, or at least about 2%, such as about 3% or about 4% or greater, or any percentage therebetween, such as about 5-11%, about 6-9.5%, about 3-9%, about 2.5-7.5%, or about 4-6.8%. In forming the polyurea prepolymer, polyamine telechelics as disclosed herein can be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof to react with excess isocyanate. Prepolymers with higher % NCO (e.g., 14%) can be converted to prepolymers with lower % NCO (e.g., 10%) by further reacting with one or more other polyamines, polyols, polyamine telechelics, and/or polyol telechelics. Polyurea prepolymers may contain a content of free isocyanate monomers by about 1% or less of the total weight, such as about 0.5% or less.

When forming a saturated prepolymer, such as for use in highly light-stable compositions, saturated polyisocyanates being aliphatic, alicyclic, and/or heteroaliphatic can be used alone or in combinations of two or more thereof. Araliphatic polyisocyanates, alone or in mixtures of two or more thereof, may also be used to form relatively light-stable materials. Without being bound to any particular theory, it is believed that the direct attachment of the NCO moieties to aliphatic side chains without conjugation with the aromatic rings prevents the araliphatic polyisocyanates from, or diminishes their ability in, forming extended conjugated double bonds, which may give rise to discoloration (e.g., yellowing). The sterically hindered polyisocyanates are useful in forming highly or relatively light-stable materials. Without being bound to any particular theory, it is believed that the steric hinderance around the N atom tends to rotate it out of plane, thereby reducing its absorbance of UV wavelengths and achieving desired light-stability. Moreover, one or more of the NCO groups in the sterically hindered polyisocyanates can be attached to tertiary or quaternary carbon atoms that are substantially free of C—H bonds, thus eliminating or reducing the occurrence of UV-induced oxidation at the carbon atoms, and in turn slowing degradation or discoloration. The saturated polyisocyanates, the araliphatic polyisocyanates, and the sterically hindered polyisocyanates may be used alone or in any combinations of two or more thereof.

The compositions of the disclosure may comprise at least one polyurethane, such as the reaction product of at least one polyurethane prepolymer and at least one curative, of which the polyurethane prepolymer is the reaction product of at least one polyol telechelic and at least one polyisocyanate. Prepolymer to curative ratio can be 1:0.9 to 1:1.1, such as 1:0.95, 1:1.05, or 1: 1.02. One or more of the polyol telechelic, the polyisocyanate, and the curative can be chosen from those disclosed herein, can be saturated, and the resulting polyurethane can be saturated. Polyurethane prepolymers can have free isocyanate monomers by about 1% or less of the total weight, such as about 0.5% or less. The polyurethane composition can be castable, thermoplastic, thermoset, or millable. The % NCO by weight in the prepolymer can be less than about 30%, such as about 15%, about 11%, about 9%, about 7%, or even less, or at least about 2%, such as about 3% or about 4% or greater, or any percentage therebetween, such as about 5-11%, about 6-9.5%, about 3-9%, about 2.5-7.5%, or about 4-6.8%. In forming the polyurethane prepolymer, polyol telechelics as disclosed herein can be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof to react with excess isocyanate. Prepolymers with higher % NCO (e.g., 14%) can be converted to prepolymers with lower % NCO (e.g., 10%) by further reacting with one or more other polyamines, polyols, polyamine telechelics, and/or polyol telechelics (e.g., polyamine polyamides, polyol polysiloxanes).

Crosslinkable polyurethanes can be formed from polyol telechelics, curatives, and stoichiometrically deficient amounts of polyisocyanate such as diisocyanate. Any one or more the reactants can have one or more aliphatic, non-benzenoid >C═C<moieties for crosslinking. Such polyurethanes can have rubber elasticity and wear resistance and strength, and can be millable. Polyol telechelics of low crystallizability, such as those having linear or branched side chains and those formed by random copolymerization (e.g, polyol polyethers, polyol polyesters, polyol polyetheresters, and others as disclosed herein), can be used to form such polyurethanes. Non-limiting examples include polyethylene propylene adipate polyols, polyethylene butylene adipate polyols, polytetramethylene ether glycols (such as those having M_(w) of about 2,000), tetrahydrofuran (THF)-alkyl glycidyl ether random copolymers, and other polyol polyesters based on adipic acid and diols like ethanediol, butanediol, methylpropanediol, hexanediol. Polyol telechelics can be incorporated with ethylenic and/or acetylenic unsaturation moieties, such as by reacting them with α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, and then crosslinked using vulcanizing agents.

Desired properties of crosslinkable polyurethanes include Mooney viscosity at 100° C. of 40-70 (e.g., 50, 60, 65, or therebetween), tensile strength of 2,000-6,000 psi (e.g., 3,000 psi, 4,000 psi, 5,000 psi, or therebetween), tear strength of 300-600 lb/in (e.g., 400 lb/in, 500, lb/in, or therebetween), brittle point of −70° F. or lower (e.g., −80° F., −90° F., or lower), material hardness of 25 Shore A to 60 Shore D (e.g., 55 Shore D), elongation at break of 100-700% (e.g., 300%, 400%, 500%, 600%, or therebetween), Bashore rebound of 40-70% (45%, 55%, or therebetween), and abrasion index (ASTM D-1630) of 300 or greater.

The compositions of the disclosure may comprise at least one poly(urethane-co-urea) formed from poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer and curative. Prepolymer to curative ratio can be as high as 1:0.9 or 1:0.95, such as when primary polyamine curatives are used, or as low as 1:1.1 or 1:1.05, such as 1:1.02, such as when secondary polyamine curatives are used. Curative includes polyamines, polyols, polyacids, aminoalcohols, aminoacids, and hydroxy acids, especially those disclosed herein, as well as epoxy-functional reactants, thio-containing reactants, and any other isocyanate-reactive compounds and materials. Poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer refers to isocyanate-functional prepolymer having at least one urethane linkage and at least one urea linkage in the backbone. Such a prepolymer is distinct from polyurethane prepolymer, polyurea prepolymer, and blends thereof. The poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer can be formed by reacting excess isocyanate with a blend of at least one polyamine telechelic and at least one polyol telechelic. Molar ratio of polyol telechelic to polyamine telechelic in the blend can be about 0.5:1 to about 10:1, such as about 0.6:1 to about 7:1. Examples of blend include polyether polyols such as polyoxytetramethylene diol and polyether polyamines such as polyoxypropylene diamine.

The poly(urethane-co-urea) composition can be castable, thermoplastic, thermoset, or millable. The % NCO by weight in the prepolymer can be less than about 30%, such as about 15%, about 11%, about 9%, about 7%, or even less, or at least about 2%, such as about 3% or about 4% or greater, or any percentage therebetween, such as about 5-11%, about 6-9.5%, about 3-9%, about 2.5-7.5%, or about 4-6.8%. Prepolymers with higher % NCO (e.g., 14%) can be converted to prepolymers with lower % NCO (e.g., 10%) by further reacting with one or more other polyamines, polyols, polyamine telechelics, and/or polyol telechelics (e.g., polyamine polyamides, polyol polysiloxanes). The poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer can be formed by reacting excess isocyanate with an aminoalcohol telechelic (or a blend of two or more thereof), optionally mixed with at least one polyamine reactant and/or at least one polyol reactant. The poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer can also be formed by reacting excess isocyanate with a polyamine reactant having at least one urethane linkage in the backbone, or with a polyol reactant having at least one urea linkage in the backbone. Polyamine reactants include any one or more polyamine telechelics and polyamines disclosed herein. Polyol reactants include any one or more polyol telechelics and polyols disclosed herein. The poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymer can further be formed in situ from a mixture of at least one polyisocyanate, at least one cyclic compound such as cyclic ether, and at least one telechelic chosen from polyamine telechelics, polyol telechelics, and aminoalcohol telechelics as disclosed herein.

The reactive compositions of the present disclosure can be covalently incorporated or functionalized with ionic groups or precursor groups thereof, which can impart desirable properties to the resulting polymer materials. The term “ionic group or precursor group thereof” means a group either already in an anionic or cationic form or else, by neutralization with a reagent, readily converted to the anionic or cationic form respectively. The term “neutralize” as used herein for converting precursor groups to ionic groups refers not only to neutralization using true acids and bases but also includes quaternarization and ternarization. Illustrative of precursor anionic groups (and neutralized form) are acid groups like carboxylic group —COOH(—COO^(⊖)), sulfonic group —SO₂OH(—SO₂O^(⊖)), and phosphoric group (i.e., ═POOH or ═POO^(⊖)); illustrative of precursor cationic groups (and neutralized form) are ═N(═N—^(⊕)), ═P(═P—^(⊕)), and ═S(═S—^(⊕)).

The precursor groups of ionic groups can be incorporated into the isocyanate-reactive telechelic (including polyamine telechelics, polyol telechelics, and aminoalcohol telechelics), the isocyanate, and/or the curative before, during, or after the prepolymer formation or the curing reaction. They can be neutralized to corresponding ionic groups before, during, or after the prepolymer formation or the curing reaction. For example, the acid groups may be neutralized to form the corresponding carboxylate anion, sulfonate anion, and phosphate anion by treatment with inorganic or organic bases. Cationic precursor groups such as tertiary amine, phosphine, and sulfide groups can be neutralized by neutralization or quaternarization of the tertiary amine, or reacting the phosphine or sulfide with compounds capable of alkylating the phosphine or sulfide groups.

Suitable inorganic bases used for partial or total neutralization may include ammonia, oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, bicarbonates and acetates. Cation for the inorganic base can be ammonium or metal cations such as, without limitation, Group IA, IB, IIA, IB, IIIA, IIIB, IVA, IVB, VA, VB, VIA, VIB, VIIB and VIIIB metal ions, which include, without limitation, lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, cobalt, nickel, tin, iron, copper, manganese, aluminum, tungsten, zirconium, titanium and hafnium. Suitable organic bases used for partial or full neutralization can be hindered organic tertiary amines such as tributylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, triethylene diamine, dimethyl cetylamine and similar compounds. Primary or secondary amines may be used, such as if the neutralization takes place after the polymer is formed, because the amine hydrogen can react with the isocyanate groups thereby interfering with the polyurea or polyurethane polymerization. One of ordinary skill in the art is aware of additional appropriate chemicals for neutralization.

At least a portion of the ionic groups can be covalently incorporated into the isocyanate-reactive telechelic before prepolymer formation. Suitable acid functional isocyanate-reactive telechelics may have any molecular weight, such as 1,500, an acid number (calculated by dividing acid equivalent weight to 56,100) of at least about 5, such as at least about 10, at least about 25, at least about 30, or at least about 50, may be about 420 or less, such as about 200 or less, about 150 or less, about 100 or less, and an acid functionality of greater than 1, such as 1.4 or greater. In the case of polyol telechelics, the hydroxyl number (unit being mg KOH/g) of the polyols may be at least about 10, or 20 or greater, or 30 or greater, or 50 or greater, or 65 or greater, preferably 840 or less, or 300 or less, or 200 or less, or 150 or less, or 100 or less, or 80 or less, or 65 or less, or any ranges therebetween, such as 28 to 112, or 187 to 560. The polyol telechelics may also have a hydroxyl functionality (average number of hydroxyl groups per polyol molecule) of greater than 1, about 2 or greater, like 1.8, and up to about 4. The acid functional telechelic can be liquid or wax at ambient temperature, and can have a viscosity at 60° C. of less than 5,000 cP, or 3,000 cP or less, such as 2,700 cP or less. Ionic groups or precursor groups thereof may be incorporated in ways that include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/859,527, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additional materials may be incorporated into any of the reactive compositions of the present disclosure, or any one or more of the reactive subcomponents thereof. These additives include, but are not limited to, catalysts to alter the reaction rate, fillers to adjust density and/or modulus, processing aids or oils (such as reactive or non-reactive diluents) to affect rheological and/or mixing properties, reinforcing materials, impact modifiers, wetting agents, viscosity modifiers, release agents, internal and/or external plasticizers, compatibilizing agents, coupling agents, dispersing agents, crosslinking agents, defoaming agents, surfactants, lubricants, softening agents, coloring agents including pigments and dyes, optical brighteners, whitening agents, UV absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, blowing agents, foaming agents, and any other modifying agents known or available to one of ordinary skill in the art. One or more of these additives are used in amounts sufficient to achieve their respective purposes and desired-effects. Suitable additives include, include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The compositions of the disclosure can be used in amounts of 1-100%, such as 10-90% or 10-75%, to form any portion of the golf ball, optionally in blend with one or more other materials being present in amounts of 1-95%, 10-90%, or 25-90%. The percentages are based on the weight of the portion in question. Conventional materials for golf ball cover, intermediate layer, and core suitable as the other materials include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The cores of the golf balls formed according to the disclosure may be solid, semi-solid, hollow, fluid-filled, gas-filled, powder-filled, one-piece or multi-component cores. The term “semi-solid” as used herein refers to a paste, a gel, or the like. Any core material known to one of ordinary skill in that art is suitable for use in the golf balls of the disclosure. Suitable core materials include thermoset materials, such as rubber, styrene butadiene, polybutadiene, isoprene, polyisoprene, trans-isoprene, as well as thermoplastics such as ionomer resins, polyamides, and polyesters, and thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane or polyurea elastomers. As mentioned above, the compositions of the present disclosure may be incorporated into any portion of the golf ball, including the core. For example, an inner core center or a core layer may comprise at least one of the reactive compositions disclosed herein.

The golf ball core can comprise one or more materials chosen from base rubber (natural, synthetic, or a combination thereof, such as polybutadiene), crosslinking initiator (such as dialkyl peroxide), co-crosslinking agent (such as those having di- or polyunsaturation and at least one readily extractable hydrogen in the α position to the unsaturated bonds), filler, cis-to-trans catalyst, organosulfur compound, among others. Choices for these materials are known to one skilled in the art, such as those disclosed in co-pending and co-assigned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0119989, bearing Ser. No. 10/190,705, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The core compositions can be used to form any other portions of the golf ball, such as one or more of the intermediate layers and cover layers.

When the golf ball comprises at least one intermediate layer, such as one disposed between the cover and the core, or an inner cover layer or outer core layer, i.e., any layer(s) disposed between the inner core and the outer cover of the golf ball, this layer can be formed from any one or more thermoplastic and thermosetting materials known to those of ordinary skill. These materials can be any and all of the compositions disclosed herein, and include, without limitation, those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. One or more of such intermediate layers may be moisture barrier layers, such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,488, which is incorporated by reference herein.

One or more of the cover layers may be formed, at least in part, from the compositions of the present disclosure. The cover layers include outer cover layer, inner cover layer, and any intermediate layer disposed between the inner and outer cover layers. The cover compositions can include one or more of the polyurethane prepolymers, polyurea prepolymers, poly(urethane-co-urea) prepolymers, polyisocyanates, curatives, and additives. Other materials useful in cover composition blends include those disclosed herein for the core and the intermediate layer.

The golf ball can have any construction, including, but not limited to, one-piece, two-piece, three-piece, four-piece, and other multi-piece designs. The golf ball can have a single core, a 2-layer core, a 3-layer core, a 4-layer core, a 5-layer core, a 6-layer core, a multi-layer core, a single cover, a 2-layer cover, a 3-layer cover, a 4-layer cover, a 5-layer cover, a 6-layer cover, a multi-layer cover, a multi-layer cover, and/or one or more intermediate layers. The compositions of the disclosure may be used in any one or more of these golf ball portions, each of which may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. As used herein, the term “multi-layer” means at least two layers. Any of these portions can be one of a continuous layer, a discontinuous layer, a wound layer, a molded layer, a lattice network layer, a web or net, an adhesion or coupling layer, a barrier layer, a layer of uniformed or non-uniformed thickness, a layer having a plurality of discrete elements such as islands or protrusions, a solid layer, a metallic layer, a liquid-filled layer, a gel-filled portion, a powder-filled portion, a gas-filled layer, a hollow portion, or a foamed layer.

In addition, when the golf ball of the present disclosure includes an intermediate layer, this layer may be incorporated with a single or multilayer cover, a single or multi-piece core, with both a single layer cover and core, or with both a multilayer cover and a multilayer core. The intermediate layer may be an inner cover layer or outer core layer, or any other layer(s) disposed between the inner core and the outer cover of a golf ball. As with the core, the intermediate layer may also include a plurality of layers. It will be appreciated that any number or type of intermediate layers may be used, as desired. The intermediate layer may also be a tensioned elastomeric material wound around a solid, semi-solid, hollow, fluid-filled, or powder-filled center. As used herein, the term “fluid” refers to a liquid or gas and the term “semi-solid” refers to a paste, gel, or the like. A wound layer may be described as a core layer or an intermediate layer for the purposes of the disclosure. The would layer may be formed from a composition of the disclosure having at least one hydrophobic backbone or segment for improved water resistance.

The golf balls of the disclosure may be formed using a variety of application techniques such as compression molding, flip molding, injection molding, retractable pin injection molding, reaction injection molding (RIM), liquid injection molding (LIM), casting, vacuum forming, powder coating, flow coating, spin coating, dipping, spraying, and the like. Detailed descriptions of these methods are known to one skilled in the art, and can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, as well as references cited therein, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The use of various dimple patterns and profiles provides a relatively effective way to modify the aerodynamic characteristics of a golf ball. As such, the manner in which the dimples are arranged on the surface of the ball can be by any available method. Non-limiting dimple patterns include icosahedral, octahedral, phyllotactic, and Archimedean with non-linear parting line, including truncated octahedron, great rhombcuboctahedron, truncated dodecahedron, and great rhombicosidodecahedron. The dimples can be circular and/or non-circular, such as amorphous, have tubular lattice pattern, having catenary curvature, have varying sizes, and/or have high percentage of surface coverage.

The golf balls of the present disclosure may be painted, coated, or surface treated for further advantages. The use of light stable reactive compositions may obviate the need for certain post-processing such as applying pigmented coating or clear topcoat, thus reducing cost and production time, reducing use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and improving labor efficiency. Toning the golf ball cover with titanium dioxide can enhance its whiteness. The cover can be subjected to such surface treatment as corona treatment, plasma treatment, UV treatment, flame treatment, electron beam treatment, and/or applying one or more layers of clear paint, which optionally may contain one or more fluorescent whitening agents. Trademarks and/or other indicia may be stamped, i.e., pad-printed, on the cover, and then covered with one or more clear coats for protection and glossy look. UV treatment can be used to cure UV-curable topcoat and/or ink layer (used as a paint layer or a discrete marking tool for logo and indicia).

Physical properties of each golf ball portion, such as hardness, modulus, compression, and thickness/diameter, can affect play characteristics-such as spin, initial velocity, and feel. It should be understood that the ranges herein are meant to be intermixed with one another, i.e., the low end of one range may be combined with the high end of another range. Suitable ranges for these and other properties are described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/194,057, 10/409,144, and 10/859,527, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,794, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Golf balls and portions thereof of the present disclosure can have any dimensions, i.e., thickness and/or diameter. While USGA specifications limit the size of a competition golf ball to 1.68 inches or greater in diameter, golf balls of any sizes smaller or larger can be used for leisure play. As such, the golf ball diameter can be 1.68-1.8 inches, 1.68-1.76 inches, 1.68-1.74 inches, or 1.7-1.95 inches. Golf ball subassemblies comprising the core and one or more intermediate layers can have a diameter of 80-98% of that of the finished ball. The core may have a diameter of 0.09-1.65 inches, such as 1.2-1.63 inches, 1.3-1.6 inches, 1.4-1.6 inches, 1.5-1.6 inches, or 1.55-1.65 inches. Alternatively, the core diameter can be 1.54 inches or greater, such as 1.55 inches or greater, or 1.59 inches or greater, and 1.64 inches or less. The core diameter can be 90-98% of the ball diameter, such as 94-96%. When the core comprises an inner center and at least one outer core layer, the inner center can have a diameter of 0.9 inches or greater, such as 0.09-1.2 inches or 0.095-1.1 inches, and the outer core layer can have a thickness of 0.13 inches or greater, such as 0.1-0.8 inches, or 0.2 or less, such as 0.12-0.01 inches or 0.1-0.03 inches. Two, three, four, or more of outer core layers of different thickness such as the ranges above may be used in combination.

Thickness of the intermediate layer may vary widely, because it can be any one of a number of different layers, e.g., outer core layer, inner cover layer, wound layer, and/or moisture/vapor barrier layer. The thickness of the intermediate layer can be 0.3 inches or less, such as 0.1 inches, 0.09 inches, 0.06 inches, 0.05 inches, or less, and can be 0.002 inches or greater, such as 0.01 inches or greater. The intermediate layer thickness can be 0.01-0.045 inches, 0.02-0.04 inches, 0.025-0.035 inches, 0.03-0.035 inches. Two, three, four, or more of intermediate layers of different thickness such as the ranges above may be used in combination. The core and intermediate layer(s) together form an inner ball, which can have a diameter of 1.48 inches or greater, such as 1.5 inches, 1.52 inches, or greater, or 1.7 inches or less, such as 1.66 inches or less.

The cover thickness can be 0.35 inches or less, such as 0.12 inches, 0.1 inches, 0.07 inches, or 0.05 inches or less, and 0.01 inches or greater, such as 0.02 inches or greater. The cover thickness can be 0.02-0.05 inches, 0.02-0.045 inches, or 0.025-0.04 inches, such as about 0.03 inches. Thickness ratio of the intermediate layer (e.g., as an inner cover layer) to the cover (e.g., as an outer cover layer) can be 10 or less, such as 3 or less, or 1 or less.

Golf balls can comprise layers of different hardness, e.g., hardness gradients, to achieve desired performance characteristics. The hardness of any two adjacent or adjoined layers can be the same or different. One of ordinary skill in the art understands that there is a difference between “material hardness” and “hardness, as measured directly on a golf ball.” Material hardness is defined by the procedure set forth in ASTM-D2240 and generally involves measuring the hardness of a flat “slab” or “button” formed of the material in question. Hardness, when measured directly on a golf ball (or other spherical surface) is influenced by a number of factors including, but not limited to, ball construction (i.e., core type, number of core and/or cover layers, etc.), ball (or sphere) diameter, and the material composition of adjacent layers, and can therefore be different from the material hardness. The two hardness measurements are not linearly related and, therefore, cannot easily be correlated.

The cores of the present disclosure may have varying hardness depending at least in part on the golf ball construction. The core hardness as measured on a formed sphere can be at least 15 Shore A, such as at least 30 Shore A, about 50 Shore A to about 90 Shore D, about 80 Shore D or less, about 30-65 Shore D, or about 35-60 Shore D. The intermediate layer(s) of the present disclosure may also vary in hardness, depending at least in part on the ball construction. The hardness of the intermediate layer can be about 30 Shore D or greater, such as about 50 Shore D or greater, about 55 Shore D or greater, or about 65 Shore D or greater, and can be about 90 Shore D or less, such as about 80 Shore D or less or about 70 Shore D or less, or about 55-65 Shore D. The intermediate layer can be harder than the core layer, having a ratio of hardness of about 2 or less, such as about 1.8 or less, or about 1.3 or less. The intermediate layer can be different (i.e., harder or softer) than the core layer with a hardness difference of at least 1 unit in Shore A, C, or D, such as at least 3 units, or at least 5 units, or at least 8 units, or at least 10 units, or less than 20 units, or less than 10 units, or less than 5 units.

The hardness of the cover layer may vary, depending at least in part on the construction and desired characteristics of the golf ball. On the Shore C scale, the cover layer may have a hardness of about 70 Shore C or greater, such as about 80 Shore C or greater, and about 95 Shore C or less, such as about 90 Shore C or less.

The difference or ratio of hardness between the cover layer and the inner ball can be manipulated to influence the aerodynamics and/or spin characteristics of a ball. When the intermediate layer (such as inner cover layer) is at least harder than the cover layer (such as outer cover layer), or intended to be the hardest portion in the ball, e.g., about 50-75 Shore D, the cover layer may have a material hardness of about 20 Shore D or greater, such as about 25 Shore D or greater, or about 30 Shore D or greater, or the cover hardness as measured on the ball can be about 30 Shore D or greater, such as about 30-70 Shore D, about 40-65 Shore D, about 40-55 Shore D, less than about 45 Shore D, less than about 40 Shore D, about 25-40 Shore D, or about 30-40 Shore D. The material hardness ratio of softer layer to harder layer can be about 0.8 or less, such as about 0.75, about 0.7, about 0.5, about 0.45, or less. When the intermediate layer and the cover layer have substantially the same hardness, the material hardness ratio can be about 0.9 or greater, and up to 1.0, and the cover layer may have a hardness of about 55-65 Shore D. Alternatively, the cover layer can be harder than the intermediate layer, with the hardness ratio of the cover layer to the intermediate layer being about 1.33 or less, such as about 1.14 or less.

The core may be softer than the cover. For example, the cover hardness may be about 50-80 Shore D, and the core hardness may be about 30-50 Shore D, with the hardness ratio being about 1.75 or less, such as about 1.55 or less or about 1.25 or less.

As used herein, the terms “Atti compression” or “compression” refers to the deflection of an object or material relative to the deflection of a calibrated spring, as measured with an Atti Compression Gauge available from Atti Engineering Corp. of Union City, N.J. Compression values of the golf ball or portion thereof can be at least in part dependent on the diameter. Atti compression of the core or portion thereof can be 80 or less, such as 75 or less, 40-80, 50-70, 50 or less, 25 or less, 20 or less, 10 or less, or 0, or below the measurable limit of the Atti Compression Gauge. The core or portion thereof may have a Soft Center Deflection Index (SCDI) compression of 160 or less, such as 40-160 or 60-120. The golf ball can have an Atti compression of 40 or greater, such as 55 or greater, 50-120, 60-120, 50-120, 60-100, 75-95, or 80-95.

USGA limits the initial velocity of a golf ball up to 250±5 ft/s. The initial velocity of the golf ball of the present disclosure can be 245-255 ft/s, or greater, such as 250 ft/s or greater, 253-254 ft/s, or about 255 ft/s. Coefficient of restitution (COR) of a ball or a portion thereof is measured by taking the ratio of the outbound or rebound velocity to the inbound or incoming velocity (such as, but not limited to, 125 ft/s). COR can be maximized so that the initial velocity is contained with a certain limit. COR of the golf ball can be 0.7 or greater at an inbound velocity of 125 ft/s, such as 0.75 or greater, 0.78 or greater, 0.8 or greater, and up to about 0.85, such as 0.8-0.815. The core and/or the inner ball can have a COR of 0.78 or more, such as 0.79 or greater, or 0.8 or greater.

As used herein, the term “flexural modulus” or “modulus” refers to the ratio of stress to strain within the elastic limit (measured in flexural mode) of a material, indicates the bending stiffness of the material, and is similar to tensile modulus. Flexural modulus, typically reported in Pascal (“Pa”) or pounds per square inch (“psi”), is measured in accordance to ASTM D6272-02.

The intermediate layer (e.g., outer core layer, inner cover layer) can have any flexural modulus of 500-500,000 psi, such as 1,000-250,000 psi or 2,000-200,000 psi. The flexural modulus of the cover layer (e.g., outer cover layer, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer) can be 2,000 psi or greater, such as 5,000 psi or greater, 10,000-150,000 psi, 15,000-120,000 psi, 18,000-110,000 psi, 100,000 psi or less, 80,000 or less, 70,000 psi or less, 10,000-70,000 psi, 12,000-60,000 psi, or 14,000-50,000 psi.

The cover layer (e.g., inner cover, intermediate cover, outer cover layers) can have any flexural modulus, such as the numerical ranges illustrated for intermediate layer above. When the cover layer has a hardness of 50-60 Shore D, the flexural modulus can be 55,000-65,000 psi. In multi-layer covers, the cover layers can have substantially the same hardness but different flexural moduli. The difference in flexural modulus between any two cover layers can be 10,000 psi or less, 5,000 psi or less, or 500 psi or greater, such as 1,000-2,500 psi. The ratio in flexural modulus of the intermediate layer to the cover layer can be 0.003-50, such as 0.006-4.5 or 0.11-4.5.

The specific gravity of a cover or intermediate layer can be at least 0.7, such as 0.8 or greater, 0.9 or greater, 1 or greater, 1.05 or greater, or 1.1 or greater. The core may have a specific gravity of 1 or greater, such as 1.05 or greater. In one example, the intermediate layer has a specific gravity of 0.9 or greater and the cover has a specific gravity of 0.95 or greater. In another example, the core specific gravity is 1.1 or greater and the cover specific gravity is about 0.95 or greater.

The adhesion, or peel, strength of the compositions as presently disclosed can be 5 lb_(f)/in or greater, such as 10 lb_(f)/in or greater, 20 lb_(f)/in or greater, 24 lb_(f)/in or greater, or 26 lb/in or greater, or 30 lb_(f)/in or less, such as 25 lb_(f)/in, 20 lb_(f)/in, or less. Adhesion strength of a golf ball layer can be assessed using cross-hatch test (i.e., cutting the material into small pieces in mutually perpendicular directions, applying a piece of adhesive cellophane tape over the material, rapidly pulling off the tape, and counting the number of pieces removed).

Water resistance of a golf ball portion can be reflected by absorption (i.e., weight gain following a period of exposure at a specific temperature and humidity differential) and transmission (i.e., water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) according to ASTM E96-00, which refers to the mass of water vapor that diffuses into a material of a given thickness per unit area per unit time at a specific temperature and humidity differential). The golf ball or a portion thereof can have a weight gain of 0.15 g or less, such as 0.13 g, 0.09 g, 0.06 g, 0.03 g, or less, and a diameter gain of 0.001 inches or less, over seven weeks at 100% relative humidity and 72° F. The golf ball portion such as the outer or inner cover layer can have a WVTR of 2 g/(m²×day) or less, such as 0.45-0.95 g/(m²×day), 0.01-0.9 g/(m²×day), or less, at 38° C. and 90% relative humidity. Alternatively, the layer may have a WVTR of of 1 g mm/(m²·day) or less, or 0.65 g·mm/(m²·day) or less, or 0.4 g·mm/(m²·day) or less, or 0.2 g mm/(m²·day) or less, or 0.1 g mm/(m²·day) or less.

The shear/cut resistance of a golf ball portion (e.g., inner or outer cover layer) may be determined using a shear test having a scale from 1 to 6 in damage and appearance. The cover layer can have a number of 3, 2, 1, or less on the shear test scale.

Light stability (such as to UV irradiance power of 1.00 W/m²/nm) of the cover layer (e.g., a visible layer such as an outer cover layer or an inner/intermediate cover layer having transparent or translucent outer cover layers) may be quantified using difference in yellowness index (ΔYI, according to ASTM D1925) before and after a predetermined period (such as 120 hrs) of exposure. The ΔYI of the cover layer can be 10 or less. Difference in yellow-to-blue chroma dimension before and after the exposure (Δb*) can also quantify light stability. The Δb* of the cover layer can be 5 or less, or 4 or less.

EXAMPLES

The following non-limiting examples are included herein merely for illustration, and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Golf balls were made having polyurethane covers comprising prepolymers of H₁₂MDI and dimer acid-based polyester polyols, cured with polycaprolactone triols (molecular weight of 300). Properties and performance results in comparison with aromatic polyurethane covered control golf balls are listed below. TABLE 1 DIMER ACID-BASED POLYESTER POLYOL POLYURETHANE GOLF BALL COVERS Control Example 1 Example 2 Formulations Isocyanate MDI H₁₂MDI H₁₂MDI Telechelic PTMEG¹ Priplast ® 1838² Priplast ® 3196³ Curative Ethacure ® 300⁴ PCL triol⁵ PCL triol Compression 85 87 84 Shore D Hardness 48 60 50 COR @ 125 ft/s 0.806 0.804 0.802 Durability @ 400 hits No failures No failures No failures Cold Crack Test @ 5° F., 15 hits No failures No failures No failures Light Stability ΔYI — 7.07 8.22 (8 Days QUV) Δb* — 4.03 4.67 ¹Polytetramethylene ether glycol with Mw of 2,000. ²Liquid polyester polyol with Mw of 2,000 and OH value of 52-60, from Uniqema of New Castle, DE. ³Liquid polyester polyol with Mw of 3,000 and OH value of 34-40, from Uniqema of New Castle, DE. ⁴Dimethylthiotoluene diamine, from Albemarle Corporation of Baton Rouge, LA. ⁵Polycaprolactone triol with Mw of 300.

The forgoing disclosure and the claims below are not to be limited in scope by the illustrative examples presented herein. Any equivalent examples are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. For example, while disclosure is directed mainly to compositions for use in golf balls, the same compositions may be used in other golf equipment such as putters (e.g., as inserts or in the grip), golf clubs and portions thereof (e.g., heads, shafts, or grips), golf shoes and portions thereof, and golf bags and portions thereof. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Disclosures of relevant subject matters in all patents, applications, and publications as cited in the foregoing disclosure are expressly incorporate herein by reference in their entirety. 

1. A golf ball comprising a core and at least one layer disposed about the core, wherein the layer comprises a composition comprising a polyester polyol formed from a polyol and a polyacid, and wherein at least one of the polyol and the polyacid is a fatty compound.
 2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid is a fatty polyacid comprising suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, dodecanedioic acid, brassylic acid, tetradecanedioic acid, pentadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedioic acid, octadecanedioic acid, heptadecanedicarboxylic acid, octadecanedicarboxylic acid, nonadecanedicarboxylic acid, eicosanedicarboxylic acid, hydrogenated vinyl-tetradecenedioic acid, hydrogenated eicosedienedioic acid, hydrogenated dimethyl-eicosedienedioic acid, hydrogenated 8-vinyl-10-octadecenedioic acid, or a polymerized fatty polyacid.
 3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid comprises a dimer diacid, a trimer triacid, or an adduct diacid.
 4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyacid has a structure of:

where R comprises hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, or alkoxy group; m+n≧8; and x+y≧8.
 5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is a fatty polyol.
 6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol is a dimer diol.
 7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyol has a structure of:

where R comprises hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alicyclic, cycloalkyl, or alkoxy group; m+n≧8; and x+y≧8.
 8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol is formed from at least one dimer diol and at least one dimer diacid.
 9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a molecular weight of 1,000 to 3,000.
 10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a hydroxyl number of 20 to
 150. 11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the polyester polyol has a hydroxyl number of 30 to
 80. 12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a polyisocyanate.
 13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the polyisocyanate and the polyester polyol react to form a prepolymer having a % NCO of 3% to 15%.
 14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a triol or a tetraol.
 15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a polycaprolactone triol having a molecular weight of 230 to 1,000.
 16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is an outer cover layer.
 17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is an intermediate layer disposed between the core and an outer cover layer.
 18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the layer is a coating layer.
 19. A golf ball, the golf ball having a compression of 50 to 120 and comprising: a core, the core having a diameter of 1.5 inches to 1.65 inches; an intermediate layer disposed about the core, the intermediate layer having a first Shore D hardness of 20 to 80; an outer cover layer disposed about the intermediate layer; the outer cover layer having a thickness of 0.005 inches to 0.05 inches and a second Shore D hardness of 30 to 70; and an optional coating layer disposed about the outer cover layer, wherein at least one of the intermediate layer, the outer cover layer, and the coating layer is formed from a composition comprising a polyester polyol formed from a dimer diol and a dimer diacid, a polyisocyanate, and a triol or tetraol.
 20. The golf ball of claim 19, wherein the core or the golf ball has a coefficient of restitution of 0.8 or greater. 